


Over the Edge

by CALLEN37



Category: NCIS
Genre: Adoption, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Familial Abuse, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-04
Updated: 2012-10-04
Packaged: 2017-11-15 15:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 26,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/528911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALLEN37/pseuds/CALLEN37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony gets hurt and loses his memory, He thinks he's 12 and some old secrets come out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tony was running, the suspect was just a few feet in front of him and he knew he'd catch up really quickly.

Having said that the man was a few years younger than him and Tony thought maybe he was a free runner or something. They reached an abandoned warehouse and he could hear his team catching up behind him. He followed the suspect up a flight of stairs and skidded as he stopped.

The man swung his leg round and caught Tony behind the knee; he heard a sickening pop and felt himself go down towards the handrail. He caught sight of his boss and shot him a terrified look as the rusted handrail broke and he went tumbling over the edge.

Ziva and Tim were right behind Tony as they entered the warehouse and as the suspect turned they pulled up and drew their guns.

Ziva couldn't help the scream that left her mouth as she saw Tony fall and she knew as McGee moved to catch him that this time he'd be too late.

She caught the look of horror that crossed Gibbs' face as he saw his SFA fall "Tony!" He yelled as he ran to his senior field Agents' side and checked for a pulse blanching at the unnatural angle his leg was at.

Ziva arrested the suspect and took him to the car for transport back to NCIS and called another team to relieve them, Tim called an ambulance and then Ducky and Abby so they both were aware of what had happened.

Gibbs hadn't moved except for gently lifting Tony's head into his lap and stroked his head while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

* * *

Tony was cold, he hurt and was scared, He knew he was in hospital but had no idea how he'd got there.

He slowly opened one eye and saw a man with a badge sitting next to him. He held his breath scared he was in trouble for something.

"Hey DiNozzo, how are you feeling?" Gibbs asked.

"F…Fine Sir," Tony answered without looking Gibbs in the eye.

Gibbs looked concerned "Sir?" He stopped as Ducky came in.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs said confused.

"Anthony my boy, how are you feeling?" Ducky asked him

"Fine, Thank you Sir," Tony said.

Ducky nodded and put a hand on Gibbs' shoulder. "Anthony, do you know who we are?" He asked gently.

"No Sir. Although I think this gentleman is a policeman I saw his badge," Tony admitted.

Gibbs looked shocked, "Ducky?" He growled and instantly stopped as Tony tried to move away from him.

"In a moment Jethro." Ducky said cutting him off, "Anthony, you have had a bad fall and injured your knee, you also hit your head and that's why you are having trouble remembering some things. But don't worry we'll get you back to work soon." He smiled reassuringly.

"Work….Sir? But my…my fathers sending me to school next semester." Tony said his voice trailed off scared that maybe this man was here to take him away to work rather than the school his father had told him about. Unless he was already away at school. He looked around trying to see if his father had turned up seeing as he had been hurt but as usual there was no sign of him.

"Tony…How old are you?" Gibbs asked him his gut twisting in readiness of the answer.

"Twelve Sir, Did something happen, my father didn't mean it Sir, It was my fault honest!" Tony started to cry silently and looked away so the men couldn't see.

Ducky and Gibbs left the room.

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Gibbs asked Ducky as they walked outside.

"It seems that when Anthony hit his head as he fell he has amnesia to the point where he think he is twelve." Ducky explained slowly. "Whether or not it is permanent will remain to be seen."

"OK," Gibbs said as he let out a breath he'd been holding, "What about that other stuff. What does he mean his father didn't mean it?"

"I don't know," Ducky admitted, "We will have to ask Anthony. I can get his childhood medical records sent to me and see if there is anything in his files that will let us know what we will be in for dealing with a 12 year old Anthony." Ducky said.

Gibbs nodded and leant against the wall determined to let the rest of the team know what was going on before they walked in and overwhelmed the 'boy' in the room behind him.

"Hopefully it won't be too long before they let him go home," Gibbs said, "You know how much he hate's hospitals."

Tony heard the two men talking outside, he couldn't hear the word but they sounded mad. Maybe his father had gone too far this time, or worse maybe they were telling him where he was. The last thing he remembered was the conversation in his fathers' study.

"Junior, I've had enough" His father had said.

"Sir?" Tony had asked.

"You are a complete failure and a huge disappointment to me, you made you mother kill herself due to your whining and clingy behavior." Senior had walked over to his child and noticing the tears starting to spill from the boy's eyes had backhanded him and sent him sprawling along the floor of the study.

Tony had picked himself up and run to his room hearing the sound of his father chasing him and had managed to lock his door just before his father got there.

Tony heard the first man talking about taking him home and he figured that the policeman must have been paid off by his father so he wouldn't talk.

He began making a plan; he'd have to get out of there before his father could hurt him again.

He tested his knee as he gingerly stood up, the brace was holding and the pain was there but bearable. His head swam a bit but he was good.

He grabbed his clothes and put them on, he found a wallet with his name in it and some money surprised at the picture in the wallet being an old man he shrugged either way it had his name on it and he could always pay the old guy back later as it had an address in it too.

He quietly made his way to the door and peeked out.

There was no one in the doorway but he could here the voice of the policeman from down the hall talking to some other people, he wondered if his father was one of the people there and decided that was not the way to go.

He had never felt so scared in his life but he knew he was never going back, he'd had enough of being beaten and abused and wanted out. Maybe he could start again and go to another school far away. After all there were so many children in public schools he was sure they wouldn't notice and extra kid hanging about.

He slipped through the double doors at the end of the corridor and was gone.

* * *

Gibbs walked up to where the others were waiting for news on Tony.

"How is he, can we see him?" Abby asked.

"Not yet, Abs." Gibbs said trying to reassure her, "Tony's ok but there's a bit of a complication."

"What is wrong Gibbs?" Ziva asked

"It appears young Anthony has lost some of his memory." Ducky said.

"How much?" Tim asked

"Everything past the age of 12, in fact he thinks he is 12." Gibbs said flatly watching as the others took in the implication of what he had said.

"Is it permanent?" Tim asked.

"I don't know," Gibbs admitted, "His doctor will be in to see him soon. You can go in one at a time to see him but not too much pushing, ok Abs."

"Can I go first?" She asked

Gibbs nodded knowing he wouldn't be able to keep her out there much longer. When it came to Tony Abby was fiercely loyal, although she worried about all of them equally she had known Tony longer with the exception of Gibbs and he was like her big brother and the one person Tony had confided most if not all of his secrets to.

Gibbs grabbed a coffee from the machine. It was awful but it was needed. He turned to sit by Tim when Abby came flying around the corner.

"Abby!" Gibbs exclaimed as he dropped his coffee and held on to the crying forensic scientist.

"Gibbs he's gone!" Abby said full of terror for her missing friend.

They immediately searched the floor for their friend and Ducky asked the nursing staff if they had seen him, but to no avail.

Tim went to the security station to go through their records.

Gibbs walked in just as the footage of Tony leaving through the back entrance came up.

"Is he crying?" Tim asked looking at the footage as Tony stopped and looked around obviously scared and wiped his forearm over his face as if wiping away tears.

Gibbs nodded. If Tony thought he was 12 years old what on earth would scare him so much that while in a knee brace and with what had to be a killer headache, running away would seem like a better option than staying and getting help.

"Tim call up local traffic cameras I'm going off to find him, Ziva your with me," Gibbs said and they headed to his car.

Tony had made it about half a mile in the time it had take for him to leave the hospital and for Gibbs to leave to look for him.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Ziva and Gibbs searched for hours until McGee finally saw Tony on a traffic camera.

"He's down near the flyover. Near where the homeless hang out. I'll send the GPS" McGee told them.

"Why would he be there? If he's lost his memory and thinks he's 12 wouldn't he go back to his father?" Ziva asked.

Gibbs didn't know what to say, Tony hadn't mentioned much about his life growing up just little slips here and there so that Gibbs had guessed he hadn't had the best childhood.

They pulled up to skid row. Homeless people were settling down for the night in makeshift shelters and fires were lit in old oil drums with people huddling around them for warmth.

* * *

Zeke had moved to Washington from New York with the promise of work which, not totally to his surprise had fallen through. He'd been homeless for most of his life. As much as he wanted to settle it never seemed to stick.

He made up his corner where he slept every night and settled to look at the faces around him. This he decided was true, free humanity, people who owed nothing to anyone and occasionally people who valued them as real human beings and not just the dregs of society.

His mind flashed back to New York when he'd helped a 12 year old boy who's father had beaten him and thrown him out on the street, the same boy who had looked after his welfare when he was sick and had kept him out of trouble when he had grown up to become a cop. He hadn't seen the kid for a few years now but had never forgotten the boy with the stunning green eyes who could see the good and self worth in every human being…..except himself.

What he never expected was to look up and see the same eyes staring at him from another box by a pillar under the flyover.

* * *

He got up and walked towards the box, he saw some cops pull up in a car and his gut twinged. "Tony?" He said quietly.

Tony flinched and pushed himself further into the shadow.

"Tony boy, it's Zeke." The old man said getting down on one knee and holding out his hand.

Tony looked up a light of recognition in his eyes, "Zeke!" he launched himself into Zeke's arms and cried.

"Its ok son, I've got ya." Zeke said wondering what on earth could have happened to him.

"Zeke, I think he hurt me again, my head hurts and I'm scared."

"Tony!" Came a mans voice and Tony flinched.

"Over here!" A woman's voice called and Zeke looked up to see a beautiful woman crouch down next to him.

"Tony…It's me Ziva," She said.

"Who are you?" Zeke asked protective of his friend.

"I'm a friend of Tony's." She said, "I want to help him."

Zeke stood between her and Tony. "You're his friend…. Then why is he out here scared and in pain?"

"Uncle Zeke? Why are you angry?" Tony asked in a childlike voice.

"Uncle Zeke?" Ziva asked wondering how this man could be related to Tony.

Zeke ignored the question. "That his dad?" He asked pointing at Gibbs.

"His Boss, Gibbs." Ziva said as Gibbs turned up.

"Mr. Gibbs, I'm Zeke."

"Hello Zeke, I see you found my boy." Gibbs said and Zeke's heckles rose up. He turned to Ziva making sure they couldn't get to Tony. "You said he weren't the boy's father" Zeke said and then turned to Gibbs, "If you are Sir, I owe you a serious beat down."

"I'm not, his father is unavailable." Gibbs said,

"Yeah, I know the story," Zeke said and Gibbs looked surprised.

* * *

He pulled a couple of deckchairs out from his space as he took Tony by the hand over there.

"Jessie!" Tony grinned as he hugged the old dog of Zeke's.

"Mr. Gibbs I think we need to talk." Zeke said.

Gibbs sat down and looked the older man over, "Marine?" He asked.

"Yep Vietnam." Zeke said, "I've known Tony since he was first on the streets as a kid."

Gibbs paled, "Tony was on the streets?"

"Yep, His father beat him and kicked him out when he was twelve. Kid thought the cops were out to get him. They found him and returned him home after a year. I looked after him during that time, got him fit and healthy and kept him safe as I could."

"He never said." Gibbs said.

The old man laughed, "Tony was never one for sharing." Zeke told the other man as if that explained everything

"Tony's had an accident and he thinks he's 12." Ziva informed the man

"Looks like the same sort of injuries too!" Zeke said "His father find him and beat him again?"

"His father?" Gibbs asked.

"Poor boys been running from that sick son of a bitch since he made it through police academy, keeps running, moving every few years or so, always lets me know where he is and I try to stay close by." Zeke said. "And he's always been there for me, if I can help Mr. Gibbs I'd like to. He's family."

Gibbs realized he needed to reevaluate his opinion of his SFA somewhat. Tony had always presented as the wealthy frat boy, whose love of practical jokes were equaled only by his prowess as an Agent. He'd never talked about his childhood and Gibbs had never asked. He had gathered that Tony's childhood wasn't all that rosy but nothing had led him to believe he was running from his father.

* * *

"We need to get Tony somewhere safe, I was going to take him back to my house." Gibbs said.

"Sir, I….if I have to go can Uncle Zeke and Jessie come too…..please?" Tony asked.

Gibbs broke into a grin to reassure him. "Sure they can Tony." He said.

Tony pulled Zeke up, "C'mon Uncle Zeke, we've got somewhere warm to go for tonight." He grinned. Then he looked sideways at Gibbs trying to judge if this was safe.

"Sir…." Tony whispered to Gibbs.

"Call me Gibbs," He said.

"Yes Sir….er, Gibbs?"

"Yes Tony."

"Zeke's got old and he's sick, I'll work for you if you let him eat and stay warm," Tony said so Zeke couldn't hear him.

Gibbs smiled at the amount of caring that came from Tony even though he himself was hurt.

"I'm your friend Tony, I'll help you both." He put a hand on Tony's shoulder but quickly pulled it off as Tony flinched.

"S….Sorry Sir," Tony said.

Gibbs smiled, "Get in the car DiNozzo."

Tony nodded and climbed in and before they even made it home Tony was fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

They pulled up at Gibbs' home and they got out, "Ziva will show you in and get you settled." Gibbs said to Zeke who smiled at Ziva and held out his arm.

Gibbs went round to the back and opened the door for Tony who was still asleep.

He gently put his arm on his SFA's shoulder and jumped as Tony instinctively shot to the other side of the car eyes wide open in terror and arms up ready to protect his head from the blows he was expecting to come.

"It's ok Tony, it's Gibbs, and I'm just taking you in the house." He said gently his heart wrenched as he heard a small whimper. He really needed to know the story between Tony and his father. From the small pieces he'd gathered from Zeke it wasn't as easy going a lifestyle as Tony had led him to believe.

Tony blinked and realized he wasn't in his father's limo and then he saw Gibbs and Jessie.

"Jessie?" He sniffed a tear back and scrambled out of the car for her neck and hugged the dog.

"Come on Tony, let's take Jessie to Zeke and get her some food Okay?" Gibbs said and Tony nodded.

* * *

They entered the house to find Zeke on the sofa and Ziva sat on a chair. Tony's face lit up when he saw Zeke.

"You ok Uncle Zeke?" He asked.

"Yeah sprout, I'm fine. Your friend has a nice house." He replied

Tony looked around, Ziva saw him checking for escape routes and potential sources of harm. He went and sat on the floor in the corner pulling his knees to his chest.

Gibbs looked at him, "You can sit on the sofa with Zeke if you want." He said.

"ON the furniture?" Tony asked incredulously and Gibbs smiled. "Yep on the furniture."

He walked over and sat as close to Zeke as he could.

Gibbs excused himself and walked into the kitchen to make some sandwiches. He took out his cell phone and called Ducky.

"Hey Duck, We've found him, he's at mine. Can you come over and check him out I don't think taking him back to the hospital is a good idea." Gibbs nodded as Ducky answered and then realizing he couldn't see him said, "Yep, that's great see you then." He hung up and finished fixing the sandwiches.

"You hungry?" Gibbs asked bringing two plates of sandwiches out. Zeke nodded and Tony looked at Zeke.

"Sure, Gibbs we could eat." Zeke said. Tony reached over and gave Zeke his plate and waited while he ate.

"Tony….you want some?" Gibbs asked and Tony took his plate, he ate half his sandwich and when he thought Gibbs wasn't looking wrapped the other half and stuck it in his pocket.

"There's plenty more Tony." Gibbs said and Tony instantly looked guilty.

"'s for Zeke." He mumbled. "He gets hungry a lot."

"You eat and I promise Zeke can have as much as he wants too." Gibbs said Touched by the way '12 year old' Tony looked out for his friend.

Tony looked at Gibbs, he felt safe with this man and he wasn't sure yet whether or not to trust that feeling. Apart from Zeke everyone else had either let him down or worse sent him to his father.

"Tony, my friend Ducky is going to come and see you soon; do you remember him from the hospital?" Gibb asked.

Tony nodded a dark cloud crossed his face as he tried to remember. "He's not going to call my father is he?" He asked.

"Tony," Gibbs sat on the coffee table in front of him so he could look him in the eye. "Do you want us to contact your father?" he knew what the answer would be, but he needed to clarify that it was what Tony wanted.

Tony opened his mouth a couple of times to speak and promptly vomited over the carpet. Pale and shaking Tony crawled away from Gibbs.

"It's ok, we won't let him near you again, and I'm sorry Tony I had to ask." Gibbs said.

Ducky walked in and took one look at Tony and turned to Gibbs.

"What did you do to him?" He asked anger evident in his voice.

"I'm s…sorry, it wasn't his fault." Tony said still shaking.

"Anthony my boy, can you tell me what happened."

Tony tears still running down his cheeks shook his head.

"I had to ask him if he wanted to contact his father." Gibbs said.

"Do you?" Ducky asked.  
"N…..No Sir." Tony said his voice shaking and his eyes dropping to the floor, "But I know you have to, I'm a minor."

"It's ok Anthony, we don't need to contact him, you are alright so relax, I need to talk to the others, could you take Jessie out to the garden and watch her for me please."

Tony brightened at the chance to play with the dog.

"Don't try to walk on your knee too much though, throw her a stick or something." Ducky said.

Tony grinned and took Jessie outside.

* * *

Ducky turned as soon as he was gone and looked at the others.

"I managed to get hold of Anthony's real medical records." Ducky said.

"Real one's Duck?" Gibbs said.

"Let's just say the records Anthony gave me were slightly lacking, I'll show you." He said and took two files out of his bag; there was a thick one and a thin one.

Gibbs picked up the big file and started reading it. Within moment he slammed it down

"Dammit Ducky, why didn't child services pick up on this!" he growled.

"From what I can gather DiNozzo Senior used private physicians and paid them one off and the other one I managed to track down was threatened by lawyers if he contacted anyone about Anthony's injuries.

"So they just left him?" Gibbs asked.

"There is a gap in his records from between aged 12 and 13. Then there is a notation of malnutrition and being brought to hospital by the police two days later is his intake medical for Rhode Island Military Academy." Ducky said.

"That'll be when he was with me," Zeke said.

"What can you tell us about that time?" Ducky asked.

"I found Tony in Central Park, New York. One January evening. He was wearing summer clothes and it was freezing he was covered in cuts and bruises and when I saw him I thought he was dead at first." Zeke shuddered at the memory. "It was a month before he spoke his first words to me. He followed me around like a lost puppy," He smiled at the memory of little Tony playing with Jessie as a puppy.

"Did you try and find his family?" Ziva asked

"You saw that reaction earlier, that was what I got when I asked him, he just told me he was told that he'd killed his mother and his father had told him he was worthless trash and had thrown him out of the family home."

Gibbs looked out of the window to see Tony throwing a ball for Jessie grinning from ear to ear each time she brought the ball back to him.

A part of him wished that all of Tony's life could have been that carefree.

"He never spoke about what his father had physically done to him, not even in the years later, he kept in touch with me and help me out anytime I needed it," Zeke continued. "I do know he was chased by his father after he left college and joined the police academy. Twice he came to me after being beaten by him and I patched him up and helped him move."

"I suggest you all get some rest tonight, tomorrow I will do some more tests on Anthony and see if we can persuade him to talk to us." Ducky said.

Gibbs nodded it was very late and he went to the garden to get Tony in.

Tony had grown tired playing with Jessie, but he knew he was in the way he had opened the door to go in when it started to rain but he heard them talking about him and that cop guy….Gibbs swore at the older man. He decided to play it safe. When his father had used that tone it had usually ended up with him being beaten, but Zeke seemed to trust Gibbs and he was there to protect him, but his 12 year old mind panicked.

He closed the door and went back outside, looking around for somewhere to hide but he couldn't find anywhere so he sat on the step in the rain holding Jessie close to him for warmth. He fell asleep with his head buried in the dog's fur soaking wet and shivering.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Gibbs gently guided Tony inside as he sneezed bleary eyed and sat him on the sofa.

Ducky gave him a once over as Gibbs got him a towel.

"Why were you sitting out there in the rain?" Gibbs asked.

"You told me to stay outside while you talked, you never said I could come in." he replied

"You should have told us it was raining." Ziva said. "Gibbs would never have let you stay outside in the wet."

"'s just rain,'s safer out there," Tony mumbled looking down at the floor.

Ducky looked at him "It is safe in here with us my boy, no one means to do you any harm."

Tony looked up hopeful but still disbelieving, he'd met people who had wanted to help before but they had ended up giving him back to his father for the right pay off.

He nodded to ducky understanding, "Yeah, ok."

"Come on Tony you need to get some sleep." Gibbs said.

Tony nodded and grabbed the blanket that was on the back of the sofa and walked to the back door.

"Where are you going?" Gibbs asked him.

"Its ok, I saw your shed while I was out there, there's plenty of room, It's nicer than mine." He half smiled and then stopped at the look of horror on Gibbs' face. "D….Did I do something wrong Sir?" He asked.

"I have a spare bedroom upstairs for you, you don't remember but you have stayed there before and I have some of your things in it." Gibbs told him.

Tony's eyes lit up, he remembered having a whole bedroom to himself when his mother was alive, and he teared up at her memory. Finding himself unable to speak, he nodded and followed Gibbs up the stairs to the bedroom.

* * *

Tony picked up the sweats that were laid out on the bed, "These are huge!"

"They'll fit." Gibbs smiled at him. "You've grown a lot recently."

Gibbs showed him the bathroom and Tony went in to get changed, a few minutes later he heard a scream and Gibbs came running into the bathroom,

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I….There's an old guy in your mirror!" Tony said.

"It's ok Tony, It's you. You lost your memory but you are actually older than you think."

"That's a relief," Tony mumbled to himself.

"Why's that?" Gibbs asked confused

"I took money out of some old guy's wallet, turns out it's mine so I don't have to pay him back." Tony said giving his first genuine smile with Gibbs.

Gibbs laughed, "Come on into bed." He herded Tony over to the bed and tucked him in.

Within moments Tony curled himself into a ball and fell asleep.

* * *

12 year old Tony was alone and scared.

His father had beaten him and he was sure he had a broken rib and his ankle was killing him, but more than anything his heart was broken. After another drunken bout his father had accused him of killing his mother saying she hadn't been normal since he was born and had chased him down the driveway of the house with a shotgun, saying this time he'd kill him if he went home.

So there he was, in so much pain it made him physically sick, terrified out of his life on the streets of New York in winter in a T-shirt, cotton pants and sneakers. In the snow in January.

He walked up to the empire state building. One of his favorite buildings in New York after he'd watched the King Kong movie. And saw steam rising from a vent around the back, pushed himself behind a dumpster over the top of the vent and passed out.

Hours later in the daylight he'd woken up and scrubbed at his face with his hand.

'Ok' he said to himself. 'Gonna be a gangster, like in those mafia movies and I'm gonna have to survive but I'm not going to hurt anyone.'

He used his hand to steady himself as he stood up and gingerly put weight on his ankle. He was going to need first aid, but if he went to a doctor or hospital they would send him back to his father and he'd beat him.

This he knew for certain. Two other times in his past he had gone to the hospital when his father had broke his arm, they had set it and called his father to come and get him.

His father had been nice and polite apologizing to the hospital for his sons' clumsiness but he did have a tendency to climb all the trees on his property.

His father had smiled and waved goodbye to the nurses who'd help him put Tony in the limo for the ride home and as soon as the door was shut he'd changed.

"You little shit, I was dragged out of a meeting to be here. You cost me money, I don't have money to waste on your hospital bills just coz you can't move fast enough!" He screamed at his son and hit him again, he pushed him to the floor of the limo, "And how many times do I have to tell you GET OFF THE FURNITURE!"

Tony cowered on the floor behind the drivers' seat, "Sorry Sir, Thank you Sir." He said automatically.

DiNozzo Senior, got out of the limo and grabbed Tony by the scruff of the neck. "Get to your shed, I don't want to hear a noise from you. And don't get that cast dirty, I HAVE to take you back to the hospital to get that off in a few weeks."

Tony had limped to the shed regretting ever going to the hospital, her regretted it more later, when his father had thrown open the door to the shed drunk with a belt in his hand.

* * *

"NOOOOOO!" Tony screamed shooting up in bed. He grabbed the blanket and scrambled over to the closet. He hid inside with the blanket over his head shaking in terror.

"Tony?" Gibbs said running into the room and not finding him anywhere.

He looked around and saw the edge of a blanket get hurriedly pulled into the closet.

Gibbs crouched down and opened the door a little way.

"Tony, its ok it was just a dream" He said soothingly.

He slowly pulled the blanket off Tony's head and was shocked at the sight of Tony's terrified eyes with tears streaming down his face but Tony himself not making a sound.

Gibbs pulled him into a hug.

"It's ok, you're safe." He said. Rocking him gently back and forth

Tony sniffed, "I'm sorry for going to hospital." He mumbled quietly.

More than any time before this whole thing had started Gibb decided there and then either Tony's father would go away for life for this or he was going to kill him.

Gibbs couldn't tempt Tony out of the closet that night to he sat with him until exhaustion caught up with him and they both fell asleep with Gibb's arms around his SFA keeping him safe until morning.

 


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Tony woke up and realized someone was holding him.

He stiffened up and tried to hold down the panic that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Tony?" Gibbs said feeling the change in his SFA

"I'm sorry." Tony said automatically.

"For what?" Gibbs asked.

Tony looked confused; he wasn't actually sure what he was saying sorry for. But he'd found if he just said it his father would come up with a reason for being sorry.

He knew the man with him wanted an answer so he came up with the most common reason his father used for him being sorry, "For being a worthless piece of trash, Sir?" Tony asked hoping this was the answer the man….No, Gibbs wanted.

Gibbs stiffened stifling the urge to yell, he couldn't believe the depths that Tony had, had to pull himself up from to become the good man that he knew his SFA was. He knew now from talking to Zeke that he had, had a large part in creating the good man he was. He wondered if Tony had never found Zeke, would he even be alive today.

Tony felt the change in Gibbs.

He decided to get up and he went into the bathroom and closed the door. As soon as it was closed he sank to the floor hyperventilating, He was upset and confused. This man was good; Zeke had trusted him so Tony knew he could too. But he didn't know what Gibbs wanted. How was he supposed to behave with him? What were the rules?

Tony looked at himself in the mirror, 'OK so I'm not 12…..How is grown up me supposed to behave?'

He grabbed his clothes and got dressed and picked up the wallet that was supposedly his too.

He looked out of the bathroom door and Gibbs was gone.

* * *

He went downstairs quietly checking for anyone who might see him. Zeke was asleep on the couch and Jessie looked up thumping her tail at his arrival in the room, he knelt and stroked her. "Hey Jessie." He said and let her out into the garden.

He let himself out the side gate and walked off down the road, Zeke and Jessie needed food.

He came back 2 hours later and opened the kitchen door to 3 very annoyed men.

"Where have you been sprout?" Zeke asked not wanting to scare Tony.

"Breakfast run." Tony replied looking innocent.

The other two men looked confused.

"Tony," Zeke sighed, "How'd you pay for this?"

Tony looked ashamed and squirmed.

"What did you do Tony?" Gibbs asked gently.

"I…..I'm sorry, but Jessie was hungry and I knew Zeke would be, they needed to eat."

"I have food Tony," Gibbs said

"But I can't take from you. I know you." Tony sat heavily on a chair silent sobs coursing down his face.

"I am your friend Tony, You need to trust me and Ducky, and we want to help you get better. I think we need to sort this out. You don't need to steal." Gibbs said and Tony jumped.

"Didn't steal nuttin from no one" Tony grumbled and pulled out $100 and gave it to Gibbs. "For the room and food we used." He said. Then he walked over to Zeke.

"Sorry Uncle Zeke I won't do it again, I promise but look, enough for a warm room," He looked hopefully at the old man with tear stained eyes and gave him $50.

Zeke put his arm around his boy. "Sprout I told ya when I first found you that, that was no way to earn money, Thank you for caring but we'll get by"

Tony scooted over to the corner and curled an arm around Jessie.

* * *

The three men sat around the table.

"Zeke, what did Tony do?" Ducky asked.

"I can't tell you, only that if I did it would destroy all the trust the boy has in me and I won't do that."

Tim walked in the door.

"Hi Boss," He said glancing at Tony but not saying anything, "I got that file you asked for,"

"What's that?" Ducky asked.

"Tony's sealed juvenile file. Also the police reports from when he was 12."

Zeke put his hand on the file. "Before you read this you should know, Tony always said if anyone found out about what happened to him he'd have to move. It's why he left Peoria. Are you sure you want to do this to him."

"Zeke, we all have Anthony's best interests at heart, he is family to us and we won't judge him." Ducky said.

"I'm the only one looking at these." Gibbs said.

The others nodded.

* * *

Tim walked over to Tony. "Hey there I'm Tim." He said crouching down so as not to scare him.

Tony looked up and smiled. "Hi…..Probie."

Tim lit up. "Do you remember me?"

Tony looked at him, somewhere his voice and the kindness from the younger man had hit a chord. But the ingrained panic started to flare up. "I'm sorry; I thought it was the right thing to call you?"

Tim smiled "It was, only you get to call me that, it's your special name for me," he hoped by telling Tony it was special that he'd remember the bond they had. "You're like my big brother Tony."

Tony smiled the biggest smile they had seen since this whole thing started, "I always wanted a brother…..Do you want to meet Jessie? She's Uncle Zeke's dog." He asked.

Tim looked over at Gibbs for permission.

"Sure Tim, spend some time with Tony, It'll be good for him," Gibbs was heartened by Tony's use of the nickname and the quick change that had come over him.

Tony limped out the back door with Tim taking him to where Jessie was basking in the sunshine in the garden.

* * *

"Ducky… do you think, if Tony reacted like that to Tim that maybe he should meet everyone else?"

Ducky sat and thought for a moment, "I think it couldn't do any harm, but I think the first meeting should be here I don't think that we should take him to NCIS yet, He knows here and has your spare room to go to if he gets too overwhelmed and having Zeke and Jessie here will be an invaluable comfort to young Anthony."

Gibbs picked up his phone and made a call, and then he walked to the garden.

"Come on boys, lunch time." Gibbs called and he made everyone sandwiches and sodas.

Tony hobbled in and sat on the stool next to Tim who was telling him about some of the games he had on his laptop. "I can bring some for you to play if you'd like." Tim said.

"I might break it," Tony said.

"Na, it's really tough. I'll show you how they work if you want." Tim reassured him

Tony looked up as Zeke came in, "Probie says I can play games on his laptop….is that ok?" He asked.

Zeke nodded, happy to see Tony smiling again.

Ducky walked in to see them, "Anthony we need to pop you up the hospital this afternoon to get that knee x-rayed"

"Gibbs will go with you Jessie and I are going to stay here," Zeke said.

Tony nodded. He knew Gibbs was safe but the fear of the hospital was bubbling up inside him "OK"

* * *

At the hospital Gibbs took Tony into a room to rest while Ducky went to get his doctor.

"Jethro, do you have a moment?" Ducky asked as they went to look at the x-ray results.

"Ok Duck, Tony I'm just going around to the doctors' office. I'll be there if you need me just page one of the nurses." Gibbs told Tony and he switched the TV on to keep him entertained while he was gone. "And don't leave this room!" Gibbs warned him.

Tony nodded and grinned, "You have my knee brace I can't go anywhere."

Tony settled back to watch the movie that had just started when a nurse entered.

"Mr. DiNozzo, you have a visitor." She said smiling as she placed a chair in the room.

Tony looked up and his smile froze.

"Hello Junior."

 


	6. Chapter 6

Tony scanned the room frantically, looking for Gibbs hoping he would walk in. Anthony DiNozzo Senior smiled at his sons' distress.

"Agent Gibbs has given you back to me now." He said and pulled a wheelchair in the room, "It's time to go son…..and not a sound from you."

Senior smirked, he had been looking for his son for about 5 years, during this time Junior had managed to elude him. Then 4 days ago, his lawyer had contacted him to say he had seen his son's name on a news article about his accident. He had spent the last few days scouring hospitals to find him. He had stood around the corner as Agent Gibbs and the doctor had talked about Junior's memory loss and his regression and had waited to put his plan in motion finally with Junior incapacitated he could have his lawyers get his hands on his son's trust fund.

Shaking Tony slid off the bed and into the wheelchair, "Smile when you go past the nurses' desk and keep your mouth shut." Senior ordered him.

The nurse on duty smiled at Senior and Tony as they went past.

"Don't keep him outside too long" She smiled.

Terrified Tony tried to smile as ordered but it did not come out right and as they went around the corner, the nurse followed them with her eyes until a call button was pressed to take her attention away from the two of them.

They arrived at Seniors' Limo and he roughly pushed Tony into it. Senior backhanded him as he climbed in. "I told you to smile. You nearly ruined everything," he snarled.

"Sorry, Sir." Tony apologized quickly and slid onto the floor behind the seat.

"You're mine now boy. Even Agent Gibbs couldn't wait to hand you over to me; he told me what a useless…." He stopped as he heard a whimper come from Tony and large tears started to silently fall down his face. He grinned and continued, "Yep he couldn't believe how he had managed to keep you on his team for so long, he was only helping you because he was your boss, he couldn't wait to be shot of you, said you were a worthless agent and a pain in the ass."

Tony had curled into a ball and was quietly hugging himself, Uncle Zeke had trusted Gibbs and so had he, but it was all a lie. He had given him back to his father, just dumped him in the hospital and left him there.

* * *

Gibbs walked back in the room to give Tony his knee brace back; he looked at the empty bed and groaned.

"Duck, have you seen Tony?" He asked walking out of the room.

"Mr. DiNozzo was taken outside for some air." The nurse behind the desk informed him

"Who took him outside?" Gibbs looked worried.

"Oh it's OK, he was with his father, a lovely gentleman," She added as an afterthought.

Gibbs whirled on her, "He's an abusive SOB, get security down here!" He ordered her and he picked up the phone. "McGee, DiNozzo's been taken, I need you and David down here now!" he slammed the phone shut and turned to the nurse, "I told you to let no one in there." He growled.

"I…I'm sorry Sir, He said he was family." She stammered,

Ducky looked over at the fleeting emotions rapid going over his friend's face.

"Jethro, we will find him." He said putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"But Ducky, with what Tony's told us, I don't know if we'll find him alive," Gibbs said.

McGee and Ziva rushed in and Gibbs filled them in with what he knew.

"I'll get on the security camera footage." McGee said and went into the security office.

Gibbs' anger grew as he watch Tony get wheeled out by his father and as soon as they were out of sight of people he watched as Senior backhanded him and threw him into the limousine.

"Senior does not know of Tony's amnesia?" Ziva asked

"Not that I know of." Gibbs said.

"Then is that how he always treats Tony?" Ziva paused considering, "My father is a manipulator and cold hearted, but Tony's father is just evil…How can Tony allow himself to be treated like that?"

Gibbs shook his head, "Tony right now doesn't know any better." He said wondering where Senior would take him.

* * *

Senior was ecstatic, whatever had happened to Tony in this accident had broken him, the back mouthing kid with the self confidence was gone, he didn't have a partner to back him up and he was left with the cowering whelp he had, had when he was a child. This was perfect. All he needed was for him to sign his mothers' trust fund over to him and then he could discard him and move to somewhere nice, hot and with no extradition treaty. He smiled happily thinking of it and looked at Tony who looked at him warily.

"Don't worry son we are going home." Senior said.

Tony shivered and Senior laughed.

Tony wanted to run, to scream, to cry anything to get away, but the pain in his knee prevented him from going anywhere he had not been given his brace back and he knew he could not walk without it.

More than anything he wanted to know why Gibbs had given him back to his father, both he and Ducky had promised that he would not have to see him again. If they broke that promise what about the one they had made about looking after Uncle Zeke. He was old and needed help and was the only person never to have let him down.

He made a vow to himself the second he could get away he would. He would find Zeke and they would find somewhere safe to live.

Tony could not focus on himself, he knew his life was worthless, but Zeke helped people. Zeke had helped him and Zeke needed saving from those men that had lied to him.

Curled in a corner being as quiet as possible Tony started taking in his surroundings and thinking up his plans for escape.

* * *

Gibbs, McGee and Ziva piled into Gibbs' car. He had just been given Seniors current address and headed there to find Tony.

They were surprised when they pulled up to a huge mansion. "Tony is rich?" Ziva asked shocked.

"No assumptions, lets just talk to Senior and find Tony," Gibbs snapped. He was mad with himself that it had taken them a week to get hold of any information as to Tony's whereabouts.

He climbed out of the car and with the two other agents hot on his heels walked to the front door.

He rang the bell and an elderly man answered.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Anthony DiNozzo Senior?" Gibbs asked.

"No, Mr. DiNozzo Senior is inside, whom may I ask is calling." Said the butler.

"NCIS." Gibbs said handing the man his card and barging past him into the huge hallway. "Where is he?"

"its four o'clock sir, he is disciplining the boy, he should be free in an hour." The butler said as if this was the norm.

"WHERE IS HE?" Gibbs drew his gun and ran down the hallway in the direction the butler pointed calling back at Ziva, "Arrest him!"

They climbed the stairs and heard the sound of a whip and screaming. Running towards the sound they soon heard Senior, "You are worthless boy, No one wants you, you're a whore…don't think I don't know what you did."

"Daddy please….I'm sorry!" Tony cried.

All Tony could feel was pain, there was nothing left for him.

* * *

He had spent a week here his father had chained him up in the attic. Coming in three times a day to beat him and get him to sign a piece of paper, he didn't know what it was but he remembered Zeke telling him never to sign anything without a lawyer, when he had asked for one his first beating started.

He was cold, tired and hungry, when he had asked for food his father had snapped and the current beating was the result.

"Please Sir, I am really hungry I haven't eaten since the hospital." Tony had said an hour ago.

"You don't deserve food; I'm not wasting my money on you. Why should I?" He snarled, "I had my people out looking for you, you wouldn't even use your money for food…..LOOK….My son the whore." He picked up some photographs and threw them in front of him. Then he threw him over a table and started beating him.

"You are worthless boy, No one wants you, you're a whore…don't think I don't know what you did."

"Daddy please….I'm sorry!" Tony cried.

The door crashed open and Senior jumped back.

"Put the weapon down." Gibbs snarled

"What are you doing in my home?" Senior demanded.

"Rescuing a federal agent… Now put the weapon down!"

"You won't get a conviction, I'm disciplining my son." Senior spat at him, "The whore deserves it."

Gibbs raised his gun higher; he was torn between running to Tony and taking him away from there or shooting Senior between the eyes.

Senior dropped the whip; Gibbs started to bring the gun down, as he did so Tony screamed, "NO!" as his father pulled a small berretta from the back of his jacket.

Ziva shot Senior as Tony slid off the table onto the floor sobbing.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Tony crawled to his father's body and sobbed.

Ziva walked up to Tony. "Tony, I'm sorry." She said although she could not understand why he was so upset, the man had brutalized him and just tried to kill them, it was in her mind a good shoot.

Tony looked up and saw Gibbs coming towards him. He opened his eyes wide in terror and scrambled to the corner of the room.

Gibbs crouched down, "Tony?" He said in a hushed whisper. "It's ok, it's all over now we can go now, we have to get you back to the hospital to get your knee fixed," He said. He lifted Tony up and led him down to his car.

"Tim you and Ziva take him," He said pointing to the butler, "Back to interrogation. I'm taking Tony back to the hospital, can you get Ducky to meet us there?"

"Ok Boss," Tim said as he and Ziva got in the car.

* * *

Gibbs maneuvered Tony to his car. The whole drive to the hospital Tony would not look at him or talk to him. He quietly sat in the wheelchair as Gibbs pushed him back to his room.

Ducky smiled as he entered, "Anthony, my boy. It's good to have you back safe." He said and shot Gibbs a worried glance, as he would not look up at him.

"Jethro how is he?" Ducky asked his friend as they waited for the doctor to arrive.

Gibbs shook his head, "Duck, he was in an awful condition when we got there, Senior was beating on him. Ziva shot him and Tony hasn't talked since, but Duck, he cried over Senior, I think he blames us for his death." Gibbs said. "He won't even look at me."

"Jethro, you shouldn't blame yourself, we don't know what Senior said to him while he was with him," Ducky said

"No but I heard what he said when I walked in the room Duck, It was awful. No wonder he didn't have any contact with his father normally and he moved to be away from him," Gibbs could not bring himself to tell Ducky what he had heard.

Tim walked up to Tony's room with Abby and Zeke close in tow.

"Zeke, I'm glad your here." Gibbs said

"What's wrong, Tim said you needed me?" Zeke was worried for his friend.

"We found Tony, he won't talk." Gibbs said and guided Zeke into Tony's room.

* * *

"Hey sprout?" Zeke said and gently placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. For the first time since they found him Tony turned and buried his face in Zeke's chest.

"Uncle Zeke, they promised….but they sent me back to him." Tony sobbed and Zeke looked confused, "He lied, Uncle Zeke, it's not safe there we have to leave."

"Tony here is where you need to be right now, Gibbs and your friends looked all week to find you they didn't know your father would find you." Zeke said.

"But…..he said, Gibbs told him where I was and that I was to go back with him, and Gibbs said he wouldn't make me go back. Did I do wrong Uncle Zeke? Did he see the photos and he hates me, does he not want me anymore?" Tony sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "It's ok if he doesn't if I can stay with you." Tony looked up hopefully at Zeke.

"Kid, I will always look out for you, but Ducky, Gibbs and your friends want to help." Zeke told him, "Can they come in, they want to see you?" he asked.

Tony nodded but as Zeke left the room he grabbed his sleeve, "You'll stay?" he asked. Zeke smiled, "As long as you need me sprout as always."

Tony relaxed and looked at the door with a slight feeling of apprehension, he knew it would be ok if Zeke was there.

* * *

Gibbs and Ducky looked up as Zeke walked out of the hospital room; Gibbs put his coffee down and stood up, "Can we see him?" He asked worriedly.

"Tony's scared, he asked if you'd seen some pictures and if you hated him now," Zeke took a deep breath and continued, "Knowing him I have an idea what was on those, I told him you didn't blame him or hate him…. If I was lying, tell me now and he'll stay with me at a shelter until he's better. I won't hold you responsible; it's not the first time he's been dumped like trash by his co-workers and I've looked after him at a shelter." Zeke looked away slightly ashamed that he had nothing better to offer the boy who had offered him so much in his life and angry that his so-called co-workers in the past had treated him that badly.

"I saw the photos Zeke, I don't blame him and I won't hold it against him, I moved the photos so no one else will see them, we are a family Zeke and you are a part of it now, we will help him. Now can we go in?" Gibbs asked

"Sure," Zeke said standing aside for him.

"And Zeke, Thanks for all you've done for him." Gibbs said.

Zeke shrugged, "Sprout saved my life, I owe him and even when he got back on his feet he never forgot, you know he helps out at the shelter on his days off and free weekends. He told me he tells you lot he has dates with beautiful women, that's what he calls the girls at the shelter, his beautiful babes." Zeke grinned at Gibbs' shocked look.

"I never knew!" Gibbs exclaimed surprised.

Zeke nodded as he herded Gibbs into the room, "Deep that boy." He said.

* * *

Tony sat on the bed with his head resting on his knees.

"Hey, Tony." Gibbs said quietly as he entered the room.

Tony looked up his eyes scanned Ducky and Gibbs entering the room and quickly looked for Zeke. His shoulders visibly relaxed as he spotted him behind them.

Zeke maneuvered himself to stand next to Tony and Tony grabbed his sleeve for reassurance.

"You feel any better?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes Sir, I got some medicine from the doctor so my knee doesn't hurt too much now," Tony replied he wanted to trust Gibbs again, Zeke had let him in so he thought things must be ok, but he was scared, "Do you hate me?" He asked Gibbs.

Gibbs sat down so he was face to face with Tony, "Listen to me Tony. We are family, I could never hate you, we will always be here for you and I know you can't remember right now, but if it were the other way around you'd be here for us and you would do everything in your power to support us because Tony DiNozzo NEVER leaves a man behind!"

Tony's eyes widened with awe, "Really?" He asked his face lighting up. "Wow, I'm so cool!" he said. "Like a super hero."

"You're my superhero." Came a voice followed by a black blur that ran up and hugged Tony until he couldn't breathe.

The blur backed off and Tony blinked confused.

"Abby?"

 


	8. Chapter 8

"Abby!" Tony looked around at the people around him as if waking from a dream he wrapped his arms around her and returned her hug. "It's ok Abbs I'm not dead yet." He grinned trying to reassure her.

He was not sure what exactly had happened.

He remembered falling but it can't have been that bad he wasn't attached to any machines ok he had a brace on his knee but it didn't hurt too bad.

"Boss…..can't breathe!" he said trying to get Abby to release her grip.

She backed off, but Tony was then shocked as Gibbs hugged him.

"BOSS!" Tony yelped surprised, "Am I dying?"

"Na, DiNozzo we're just pleased to have you back." Gibbs grinned.

Ducky left to go and get a doctor as soon as it became apparent that 'their' Tony was back.

* * *

Tony looked at them all thoroughly confused.

"What happened?" he asked.

Gibbs following Ducky's lead just said, "Wait till the Doctor checks you out then we can talk."

Tony shrugged, "OK but I have a hot date this weekend wouldn't want to be stuck in here forever."

Gibbs looked at him guiltily.

"What?" Tony said.

Zeke stepped out from behind Gibbs where he'd been keeping a low profile while Tony had tried to sort out what was going on.

"Un…Uncle Zeke! Why are you here, are you ok?" He asked trying to get off the bed and go to his friend to see if he needed anything.

"I'm ok Sprout, but you haven't been," Zeke said ignoring the glare Gibbs sent his way. "I know you hate being kept in the dark so I'll fill you in. you lost your memory for a while… I dunno how but you found me and we've been staying at Gibbs' place."

Tony blanched, "How long?" he asked.

"About a month." Gibbs said.

Tony sat there with his mouth open, panic flooded through his brain, a whole month where he hadn't been able to keep a tight lid on his emotions and his secrets…'Oh God!' he breathed quietly.

Zeke sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulder and Tony lent into the reassuring warmth. Then he backed off as he remembered who was in the room.

* * *

Ducky walked in with the doctor who took Tony's vitals and looked him over, "I here you're all back to normal, do you remember anything from while your memory was gone?"

Tony sat and thought "No…..I…" He stopped as all the missing memories from the last month came back. He paled and threw up over the side of the bed.

Gibbs was at his side in an instant. "Tony…Are you ok?"

Tony moved away from Gibbs he looked that shaken.

The doctor moved in and helped as a nurse cleaned him up, "It's ok it's delayed shock, can you tell me what you do remember,"

Tony looked ashamed, "I….remember running and finding Uncle Zeke, and then Gibbs…" Tony stopped as memories of his night in the closet with Gibbs resurfaced and then the morning after and he threw up again.

Then he started shaking as memories of his father started to surface. "Oh my God….My fathers dead!" Tears poured down his face. Gibbs' heart broke as he saw his SFA once again end up destroyed over his father.

"Nurse, get me a sedative," The doctor ordered. She quickly obtained one and the doctor injected the sedative into the IV in Tony's arm. Tony relaxed back onto the bed and the doctor ushered the others out into the hall and then turned to them.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize he would have this reaction, usually when this happens and the patient has been surrounded by his family and friends they are enveloped by feelings of love and security."

"Didn't you read his notes?" Gibbs growled.

"No why….well I did skim them, we are a bit overworked here." The doctor defended himself.

"He was kidnapped from the hospital by his abusive father, who was killed during the raid to rescue him." Gibbs explained.

"I'm sorry, I hadn't seen that I will arrange for a psychiatrist to come and see him immediately." The doctor said.

"OK but if he doesn't talk we need to let him come home with his family and recover." Gibbs said.

The doctor looked confused, "But according to the records his only family was his father and you said he's dead."

"THAT… man," Gibbs said dropping his tone "Was never his father. We are his only family and we will help him."

* * *

Tony awoke a few hours later to an empty room and his heart dropped.

He groaned and ran his hand over his face; Gibbs knew everything... how could he not. Yet strangely he felt a sense of relief that the one person he trusted more than anything on the planet knew more about him than he was able to normally admit.

Maybe this time, instead of running as he had in the past, he could stay and work it through…..as long as Gibbs didn't hate him for what he had done.

Gibb walked in and put a pizza on the table in front of Tony.

Tony grinned and looked up," Pepperoni, sausage and cheese?" he queried.

"Ya have to ask." Gibbs said.

Tony lifted the lid and sniffed appreciatively "Nice." He said and took a slice.

After he had eaten he sat back, "Tony?" Gibbs cleared his throat and Tony gulped worried about what his boss would say.

"Yeah."

"I just want you to know that I know about the pictures and about how your father treated you as a child…..and it don't make any difference to me about how I feel about you." Gibbs said.

"Boss?" Tony asked feeling uncomfortable.

As much as Gibbs hated talking he knew from the actions of the last month and the way Tony had been with him that he needed to be clear and if there was any chance of Tony running away he needed to do this.

"Tony," Gibbs moved to sit on the bed to make sure Tony heard every word he was about to say. "No one else knows what I do, I never told anyone of the nightmare you had or what was in your files, you are the closest thing I have ever had to a son and were I your father I would have been very proud to have had you in my life."

Tony looked down ashamed.

"No," Gibbs cupped Tony's chin and lifted his head up, "You are VERY important to me, you ARE family and you are NOT worthless!"

"Gee thanks dad." Tony quipped.

"I wish I was." Gibbs said.

Tony stopped hiding behind his humor and stared at Gibbs, "Really?"

Having someone that wanted to fulfill that role in his life was something he had always wanted but had never dared to hope for.

He looked at Gibbs with a newfound respect.

"Really, I mean it, now the doctor wants you to see a psychiatrist and you'll come home and stay with me for a while if you want." Gibbs said.

Tony looked at Gibbs with hope and a tint of trepidation in his eyes, more than anything he hoped what Gibbs was offering would work but he knew he had to take the first step and trust.

Therefore, with a tight slightly scared, slightly hopeful feeling in his chest he looked up at Gibbs and nodded.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Tony woke up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he wandered into the kitchen.

"What time is it?" He yawned.

"Zero five thirty," Gibbs, answered putting a mug of coffee down in front of him, "Are you ready for today?" Gibbs asked him, "You don't have to do this."

Tony looked at Gibbs, "I need closure, and I NEED to do this." He stated not sure who he was trying to convince his boss or himself.

Tony grabbed his coffee and sat at the counter. "Besides, they are only words, how much damage can he really inflict on me now?"

"I'm coming with you," Gibbs stated, letting Tony know there was no room for argument.

Tony nodded gratefully and drank his coffee.

* * *

A few hours later, they were walking into the law offices of Brevitz and Cohen.

Ira Cohen ushered the men into a room where a number of other people sat down around a large oval table, Ira Cohen was an elderly man in his seventies and he took a seat the head of the table.

Tony looked around at his other relatives that he had not seen in years.

Some looked over at him in surprise, some because they thought him dead others because they thought he could not be bothered with his fathers will.

"Ladies and Gentlemen we are here for the reading of the Last Will and Testament of Anthony Dante DiNozzo Senior." Ira began.

He began reading the larger bequests to family members and worked his way around everyone at the table.

As he read the names and amounts out to different family members a knot had started to tighten in Tony's gut, he knew this would be Senior's last chance at revenge and he was just waiting for the axe to fall.

Everyone had been mentioned around the table with the exception of Gibbs who was not in the will and Tony.

Ira coughed bringing everyone's attention back to him.

"And that concludes the reading of the will, except for this last stipulation. Everyone in my family has just received in excess of $5million dollars each. In order for you all to receive the money and keep it you must all severe ties with my…." Ira coughed apologetically, "Bastard son." He looked at Tony. "I'm sorry." He said and continued.

Tony stared back impassively as Gibbs balled up his fists quietly by his sides in anger.

"Anyone having any contact with…..again I am sorry this is Mr. DiNozzo Seniors own words, the worthless piece of sorry trash that is my son, will instantly forfeit any and all money due to them and will have to repay any spent."

They all looked at Tony and he nodded and got up and left the room with Gibbs hot on his heels.

Tony walked down the stairs bypassing the elevator and kept on walking until he reached the alley besides the building.

He had walked faster and faster until he had lost Gibbs on the fourth floor so he had, had to catch up with the younger man and got there just after he had finished vomiting behind a dumpster and he slowly sank down a wall.

"Tony?" Gibbs called catching up with him.

"'m ok Boss." Tony mumbled.

"Yeah, I can see that." Gibbs replied sarcastically.

"God, Boss all I had hoped was a letter maybe explaining why he hated me, what I had done wrong." Tony leant back and tears silently started to fall, "Instead he took the last of my family away from me, I'm all alone now."

Gibbs put his hand on Tony's shoulder, "You're never alone DiNozzo. I've got your six."

Tony nodded numbly and Gibbs guided him to the car for a very quiet ride home.

* * *

Halfway home Gibbs and Tony stopped at a diner, Gibbs ordered a coffee and a sandwich and he ordered the same for Tony.

Tony just stared at his sandwich not focusing on it.

"Talk to me son," Gibbs said.

Tony looked up at Gibbs the anguish apparent in his eye, he opened his move a few times but could not say what he was feeling, and he ran off to the bathroom.

Gibbs picked up the phone and made two calls. Then he went to the bathroom. He opened the door to find Tony sobbing on the bathroom floor.

As he entered, he wiped his eyes and stood up, "Sorry Boss." Tony said. Gibbs nodded and led Tony back to the car. "Come on we need to get home," he said.

* * *

They pulled up to the house just after dark, Gibbs noticed that everyone's cars were parked outside but Tony was asleep in the car so did not see them.

Gibbs got up and went inside. The others were sitting in the living room, "We're back, and he's asleep in the car. I'll go and get him, but Abbs don't overwhelm him ok?"

"OK Gibbs," Abby said looking through the window at her friend asleep in the car.

He turned and walked back outside and knocked on Tony's window. "Hey Son, we're home come on."

Tony bolted upright and rubbed his eyes. "Coming." He said tiredly and dragged himself out of the car.

As he walked inside, he slowly realized Gibbs was talking to someone.

Tony flopped on the couch and felt an arm snake around his waist; he yelped and looked over to see Abby sitting next to him.

"Hey Tony." Abby said, Tony groaned and lent into her hug, "Gibbs phoned said you've had a bad day and could use some family around."

Tony's eyes teared up, "Don't have any anymore Abbs." He sniffed.

Abby lightly headslapped him and Tony focused on her.

"What are we?" She asked, "You're my big brother and Gibbs is our dad. We may not be his biological children and he may not have adopted us by after I found out I was adopted he took me in," Abby paused for breath

"Yeah, but you're awesome Abbs who wouldn't want you," Tony said.

Abby went quiet, "My real parents?" she said quietly.

Tony looked ashamed, "Abbs I'm sorry, but you're parents wouldn't have gotten rid of you if they had known you, you are a wonderful person Abbs, My father knew me and I just wasn't good enough for anyone to want."

"I want you both and would be very proud to have you both as my children." Gibbs said standing in the doorway with Ducky.

"So adopt us already," Said Abby grinning.

Tony looked at her quizzically.

Gibbs sat them all down, "Actually that's what I was talking to Ducky about."

"But we're adults? Only kids get adopted." Tony said trying to stop Abby who was bouncing excitedly on the sofa.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Abby and she stilled. "Abby's been coming over here for months staying like you do from time to time as she has no family and needed my support, you've been with me for two months now Tony and I have come to think of you as my son, but would you both want to make our family official?" Gibbs asked giving them an out if they needed it.

"Yes!" Abby shrieked, more than anything she wanted a family to belong to and had ever since she had found out about being adopted.

Tony however, looked at Gibbs skeptically, "You'd want to adopt me?" he asked, "Why?"

"You are a wonderful person Tony, I have been proud to know you and I know more than anything all you've ever wanted was a father. I didn't know all you had gone through growing up, I've really enjoyed being there for you over the last few months and if you'll have me I would be proud to be your father."

"NO!" Tony snapped. He slapped his hand over his mouth, "I mean, I don't want you to be my father…but… could you be my dad?" he asked tentatively.

Gibbs grabbed him in a bone-crushing hug, big enough to rival one of Abby's.


	10. Chapter 10

Tony woke up to another bone-crushing hug from Abby.

"Wake up Tony, are you ready!" She yelled and Tony pulled the blanket over his head "Go away Abbs. It's early." He groaned.

"Come on Tony," Gibbs said sitting on the edge of his bed giving him a nudge, "Do you still want to do this?" he asked.

Tony sat bolt upright, "Today?" He asked. They had only had the conversation about Gibbs adopting them both last night.

"Well, I've been thinking about it for a while and I've had the paperwork just in case. Got a friend that's a judge will see us at zero eight thirty so if ya coming you should get moving." Gibbs grinned as Tony shot out of bed and ran to the bathroom.

"Come on Abbs lets make a start on breakfast," he said and they went downstairs.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Tony joined them, Gibbs was concerned, as he seemed deep in thought. "You ok?" Gibbs asked him hoping he was not having second thoughts.

"When we do this, I'm gonna have to leave the team… I like the team, but I want this more…is that ok?" Tony asked.

"I've been thinking about that myself." Gibbs started. Tony looked uncomfortable. "I have an idea that will enable us to do this and still stay a team."

"What?" Tony asked hopeful

"It stays between us a Ducky, we don't tell anyone else for at least six months. If Vance doesn't find out before then we can prove it won't affect our working relationship and we can stay on the same team."

"I can do that, I didn't really want Ziva and McGee to know yet, I didn't want them to think…" Tony trailed off but Gibbs got the idea.

"There won't be any favoritism at work, but we should tell them soon. I don't like to keep things from them."

"Can we keep it just us for a month?" Tony asked.

Abby smiled supportively "We can plan a party to tell them."

Tony laughed. "Sure Sis,"

Outside the courtroom Ducky stood to one side discussing with Gibbs all that had gone on around Gibbs' breakfast table that morning while they waited for the judge.

They walked into the room Abby holding Tony's hand for mutual support.

Tony and Abby sat quietly while Gibbs explained to the judge why he wanted to adopt them, "And do you Ms Scuito and Mr. DiNozzo wish for Mr. Gibbs to adopt you."

"Yes." They both said together.

"And, is this right?" The judge said looking at the paper in front of him, "You both wish for new birth certificates to be issued in the name of Gibbs for each of you, although you both intend to use your current surnames only for work purposes."

Gibbs looked over at them stunned and they grinned back at him and nodded to the judge, "Yes," They said

"Very well, Gibbs family," The judge said grinning, "Mr. Gibbs they are all yours."

Gibbs smiled swallowing a lump in his throat as he hugged his kids.

* * *

A month later, they had settled into a nice routine, Work was hard as usual but nothing had changed and no one had noticed anything.

"DiNozzo, David, McGee. Dinner my house at six," Gibbs said as they packed up to leave on a Friday evening.

"Yes, Boss," They said.

Gibbs strode out and Ziva and Tim looked over at Tony, "Do you think he's working a case he hasn't told us, he's been kind of secretive for the past month." Tim said worriedly

Tony just shrugged his shoulders and grabbed his bag. "We'd better not be late." He said and they headed off.

Tony and Abby were there at five thirty helping to set up as Ducky, Jimmy Ziva and Tim turned up at six on the dot.

"Hey guys, Welcome to Casa Gibbs." He grinned as they entered.

"We have been here before Tony," Ziva said

"Do you want a drink?" He asked them

He walked into the kitchen, as Gibbs hollered up from the basement, "Tony, find your sister they'll be here soon."

"They're here and I'll get her," He yelled back.

"Tony, you have a sister?" Tim asked. As he, Ziva and Jimmy looked confused.

"You might want to sit down," Tony said hoping he wouldn't have to tell them all on his own.

"I'm sure we'll like her Tony." Tim said trying to be supportive, Tony burst into laughter "Tim I know you'll LOVE her." He turned and yelled "ABB'S THEY'RE HERE"

There was a loud slam from upstairs, "HEY YOU IN MY ROOM AGAIN!" he yelled up at her.

"Nope in mine, Bro." Abby yelled back as she ran down the stairs, "Hey guys." She smiled.

She looked at the confusion on Tim's face, then at Tony and she pouted, "I'm telling Dad. You said we'd wait till we were all together,"

"Abbs, I haven't actually said anything, Dad did." Tony said.

"Wait your dad's dead isn't he?" Tim said.

Tony took a big breath, "Tim, my father is dead, but my dad's alive." He had a slight smirk as he saw Tim trying to figure it out.

Gibbs walked in the room.

"Ok guys we have something to tell you." He said. "And we need you all to keep it confidential."

"Gibbs is our dad!" Abby blurted out and slapped both hands over her mouth.

"Huh?" Tim said and he could tell Ziva didn't understand either.

"I adopted Tony and Abby a month ago." Gibbs said.

"See!" Abby said showing both her and Tony's birth certificates.

Tony went to grab his as Abby waved it past his face, "DAD!" he wailed and both Tim and Ziva grinned to see him so relaxed.

Gibbs turned to Abby, "Apologize to your brother for going into his room."

"Sorry," Abby pouted and then gave Tony a hug.

"Wow!" Jimmy exclaimed, "So you're all Gibbs'"

"Only outside work Autopsy Gremlin." Tony said.

"So why tell us now and not a month ago?" Ziva asked.

"We wanted to be able to prove to you that their would be no favoritism at work, well no more than normal anyway," Gibbs said glancing in Abby's direction. "We hoped you would take it ok and we wouldn't have to split up the team."

"Does Director Vance know?" Ziva asked.

"No, that's why we want to keep it confidential and not tell him for at least six months so he has no excuse to split the team up,"

Tony looked at his watch, "Dad, I gotta go."

Gibbs looked up, "OK I'll save your dinner till you get back, see you in a few hours."

"TONY!" Abby whined.

"It's Friday Abbs, I gotta go." Tony said

"But we were having a family night."

"Abbs…" Gibbs growled

"Hot date?" Tim asked.

"Erm yeah." Tony said he kissed Abby on the head and went out the door.

After he left Abby sat there, "Dad please, can we go too all of us, he needs to know we are all here for him,"

Gibbs thought about it. Then he nodded, "OK guys, grab your coats. We're going to go give Tony a hand."

"I thought he was on a date." Ziva said.

"He's with his other family and it's about time we supported him, you all don't have to come if you don't want to." Gibbs gave them the out if they wanted it, but no one did.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Tony arrived at the shelter a little after seven thirty and walked over to see Zeke.

"Uncle Zeke!" He called and stooped to stroke Jessie as she bounded up to him. He gave the dog the chew toy he had stopped to pick up, on the way over.

"Tony Gibbs." He said smiling, he was pleased that Gibbs had adopted Tony and took every opportunity to call him by his new name, "I thought you had a family thing tonight."

"I do but there's no way I'd miss seeing my favorite girls," He grinned leaning over and giving Martha a kiss on the cheek. "You guys are my family too."

"Aww, Tony," She blushed, "Your uncle had been telling us all about how you got adopted by a nice guy and got yourself a sister." She said and it was Tony's turn to blush.

"I did and my family is great thanks." He said and stood up and headed to the kitchens.

"She's pretty too!" Martha called and Tony stopped "Huh... How did you know?" he asked confused.

"Come on Tony, these potatoes won't peel themselves." Jack's voice came from the kitchen

Tony threw a grin at Martha, "Sorry, Jack calls and you know you can't keep a marine waiting."

He walked into the kitchen, stopped dead as he saw his family, and team all helping out in the kitchen.

"W…what are you all doing here?" He spluttered.

"Helping you out," Tim said,

"Why?" Tony asked suspiciously and the winced as he got a head slap from his dad.

"Ow… Dad!"

"We're here to help so let's get on with it, there are hungry people waiting." Gibbs said as Jack smirked.

They all pitched in to make the meals and serve up.

Tony and Abby helped dish up the meals as Tim and Ziva helped wash up.

* * *

During the evening they were all surprised to see how relaxed Tony was in the company of these people, Tony DiNozzo, frat boy, was nowhere to be seen.

It was a shy caring Tony, who took time to play with the children that were there and talk to everyone who turned up. He even introduced a new person who was feeling uncomfortable got him settled, fed, and showed him the ropes at the shelter.

By the time he left the man, he had made new friends and was a more relaxed person than when he had entered the building.

After the meal, Tony wandered off to find Zeke in the corner.

"So how's the new family working out for you?" Zeke asked concerned

"It's really great Zeke, just like the stories of real families you told me about when I was a kid. A…and I haven't messed up once." Tony smiled a genuinely happy smile.

Tim did a double take from across the room when he saw it.

He had known Tony for years. Very rarely had he seen an unguarded moment from the SFA.

Gibbs walked over and sat with them.

"I'm sorry Tony," Gibbs said and Tony looked at him quizzically. "I forgot to invite Zeke and I should have he's family."

Tony looked down, his shoes suddenly very interesting.

"What?" Zeke asked.

"Just didn't want to bother anyone, I promised I would help out today dad, I double booked not you." Tony said.

Gibbs understood how much it meant to Tony to keep his word and he was proud of him. Giving his boy a hug he turned to Zeke, "Ya need anything?" He asked the other man.

"I'm great Gibbs, if I do need anything, Jessie and I know where you are." He said.

Gibbs shook Zeke's hand and Gibbs caught Tony watching out of the corner of his eye. He nudge Zeke who noticed as well.

"He'll settle eventually, Gibbs. He loves being your son; he's just still not sure how to be in this sort of relationship." Zeke said.

"Having Abby around helps." Gibbs told him.

* * *

Having the new family dynamic in place certainly seemed to help Tony focus, his work even improved to a certain degree.

The MCRT was as solid as ever and work continued to churn out at a high rate.

Vance watched them all from his vantage point over the bullpen.

Since Tony's accident, the team seemed to have gotten stronger. He was not sure what had changed but it seemed to be for the better.

"Grab yer gear," Gibbs called as he came into the bullpen.

They grabbed their bags and stared at Gibbs expectantly, "Got a dead marine in Rock Creek Park."

"You think they'd make that place off limits." Tony quipped on his way to the elevator.

Vance grinned as Gibbs walked up behind him and head-slapped him "Thanks Boss." Tony said and the doors shut.

* * *

They arrived at the park and everyone got to work.

As Tim was collecting evidence, he heard a rustling in the bush.

"Shooter!" Ziva yelled and pushed Tim out of the way and she returned fire and the shooter was killed.

Ziva realized the shooter was no more than a drug addict that had been meeting with the marine and had probably killed him.

"DAD!" Tony yelled running towards Gibbs as he realized that he had been hit by a stray bullet.

Tim called for an ambulance as Tony lifted Gibbs into his lap "Come on dad, you're going to be ok." He said. "I should have seen him, I'm sorry Boss."

Gibbs groaned "It's not your fault, its ok it's just my side, you're gonna have to tell the director and Abby, tell her first and keep her calm ok."

"I will dad, I promise." Tony said shakily as the paramedics turned up

"Get Ziva to secure the scene then go tell Abby," Gibbs reiterated.

Gibbs was loaded into the ambulance and Tony's eyes followed it as he left.

"Tim head to the hospital, keep me informed. Ziva, Secure this crime scene. I'm heading back to headquarters, I'm about to seriously annoy the director." Tony gave a deep sigh.

* * *

First thing he did back at headquarter was to go down to Abby's lab. His intentions were to let his sister know about Gibbs and then try carefully to tell the director.

"Abbs." Tony said shutting off her music.

"Hey Tony, what's up, you get me a nice lot of evidence." She asked.

Tony gently sat her down.

She looked up with a worried expression, "Tony what's wrong?" she said her gut starting to churn.

"Dad's been shot. I think he's ok Tim's headed to the hospital with him."

Abby started to panic and Tony put his arms around her.

"I have to talk to Vance about this then we'll go." He said to her.

"Talk to Vance about what?" Vance asked as he walked into the lab.

* * *

He had been looking for Gibbs after being told an agent had been shot, by the dispatch team and had seen the sedan come peeling into the yard but had not seen any sign of Gibbs.

"Gibbs has been shot. We were at the crime scene in Rock Creek Park and the perp came out from behind some bushes, he took a shot at McGee, missed and caught D…Gibbs instead." Tony told him.

"Ok." Vance said, "You need to take charge of the investigation and…."

Tony cut him off.

"You'll have to put another team on it, Abby and I can't be involved in the investigation." Tony said.

"What…Why not?" Vance argued. "I know you are all close but…"

Tony closed his eyes ready for the onslaught.

"Director Vance, Abby and I are direct relations to Gibbs and as such it would be considered a breach of protocol to play any part in this investigation." Tony said formally.

"Explain." He said gruffly

"Gibbs is our father." Tony said simply, "He'll explain the rest when he's well." Tony finished off.

Vance looked confused as Tony grabbed Abby's hand and walked off.

"If you want us, we'll be at Bethesda with our dad." He shot back and allowed himself a small smile as the elevator doors shut and Tony got a glimpse of Vance standing there with his mouth open in surprise.

'How in the hell did I NOT know this!' Vance thought to himself and turned on the spot. 'Gibbs had better be dead!' he grumbled to himself. More than anything Vance hated to be played for a fool.

 


	12. Chapter 12

An annoying murmuring broke through the quiet that Gibbs had been enjoying.

He slowly opened an eye to see Abby with her face right in front of his.

"Abbs." Gibbs groaned but stifled a smirk as his daughters face lit up.

"You're awake." She said smiling from ear to ear and hugged him.

"OW!" he yelped, but put a reassuring hand on her as she backed up scared she had hurt him.

"Hey dad," Tony said sitting over in the corner. "I talked to your doctor; you had a GSW to the abdomen. It missed everything vital but you're going to be off work for at least a month." He paused, waiting for it to sink in; Gibbs looked mad but did not say anything.

Tony noticed and gulped, "I'm sorry I didn't stop him." He said.

Gibbs lifted himself up, "It is NOT your fault." He winced and leant back on the pillow, "How did it go with Vance?"

Tony grinned in spite of himself. "He's pissed, not sure who with more, me for letting you get shot or you for adopting me and Abbs."

"Hey Boss," Tim said as he and Ziva arrived, "We past the case on to another team. Vance has taken us off rotation."

"What just for this case?" Tony asked.

"No, for a month. He says that he has to sort something out." Ziva said.

Tony bit his lip but did not say anything; Gibbs caught it but decided not to bring it up.

"So when are you out of here?" Tim asked Gibbs.

"Should be the end of the week, McGee," Gibbs said. Then he gave the biggest grin that they had seen for a while as Tim produced a jumbo-sized mug of coffee, "Figured you'd prefer it to flowers boss."

"Got that right." Gibbs said closing his eyes in ecstasy as he drank his first coffee in 24 hours.

* * *

Vance changed his mind about confronting Gibbs at the hospital, lets face it the man was a damn good agent and he could not afford to get him too far offside. But he was the Director of this agency and he wasn't about to let any Agent tell him that the rules could be changed for anybody.

He had quietly fumed about this for a week, to the point where his wife had told him to sort out whatever it was at work that was bothering him or he was not to come home. He blamed this on Team Gibbs too!

Tony, Ziva and McGee were working on cold cases and Gibbs was still off on medical leave. Vance had not mentioned anything about the revelation that Tony had dropped in his lap the day that Gibbs had been shot. However, he was working on it.

"DiNozzo, My office." He called from the balcony. He stifled a smirk as Tony practically fell off his chair to head upstairs, followed by the worried glances of Ziva and McGee.

He walked into his office and sat waiting….Now this was going to be good.

Tony walked in and sat down.

Vance leaned forward and smiled. "Agent DiNozzo. As you are aware you informed me about your change in familial status between you and Agent Gibbs."

Tony nodded, "He adopted me, yes?"

"Are you also aware it is against the rules for family members to work on the same team?" Vance asked.

"I had heard, but surely we have proved that we can work together professionally?" Tony asked a feeling of panic rising in his chest.

"What you have proved, Agent DiNozzo is that yet again, Team Gibbs thinks it is above the rules. However seeing as I do not want the case solve rate reduced I have decided to take care of this myself. By removing its weakest link."

Tony gulped "W…Weakest link, Sir?"

"I have seen your blatant disregard for rules, the way you use the office as your personal playground and your harassment of the female staff." Vance said watching the Agent pale.

"Your 'father' quite frankly cannot be spared, although I can't fire you as much as I would like to…." Vance paused wondering if he should let DiNozzo know that he had known DiNozzo Senior and had respected the man. "I am having you reassigned; you will be joining NCISRA Kuwait. You will be working in felony level support. It is primarily a desk job but it is still work. However should you wish to resign I will accept it."

Tony's face hardened as his heart dropped like a stone. "I'll accept the reassignment, when do I leave?"

"You have a flight in 2 hours." Vance said, "You should clear your desk and leave, oh and mention any of this to your team mates or cause a fuss and I will fire you for insubordination."

A more pressing concern worried him, "What about Abby?"

"Ms. Scuito, does not work on the same team as Gibbs and her work is exemplary so why would I discipline her….she didn't get her superior shot." Vance added as a parting shot.

Tony stumbled blindly out of the room. Headed straight for the bathroom and threw up.

Five minutes later, he walked into the bullpen and started packing up his things.

"Tony, what are you doing?" Ziva asked as Tony kept packing but was ignoring everyone.

He sent a few emails put the last few things into a box.

Vance walked into the bullpen just as Tony stood up and grabbed his box.

"Agent DiNozzo, You'll need this." He smiled and Tony shivered but took the envelope, He walked the man to the elevator and leant in as the elevator doors opened.

"Just so you know, your father was a great man and I was pleased he remembered my family in his will." He smiled as Tony went white and slid down the elevator wall.

* * *

"Director?" McGee asked as Vance turned back to the bullpen.

"Yes Agent McGee," He said.

"Where's Tony going?" he asked.

"He applied for reassignment to Kuwait." Vance said. "Effective immediately."

Vance with a huge smile on his face headed back to his office.

McGee stood in Abby's lab.

Ziva, Ducky and Abby looked at him, "What's going on Timothy?"

"Tony's been reassigned to Kuwait." Abby's eye filled with tears, "He's gone."

"No!" Abby said shocked that he would just go.

"There's more," Tim said, "Abby I need you to access the security camera footage from the elevator, Vance said something to Tony as he left."

Abby pulled up the footage and they listened as Vance told Tony that he had known his dad and had received something in his will.

Abby looked furious. She turned and picked up the phone. "Dad, I need you to come to my lab now, Tony's in trouble." She hung up and sat down heavily on a chair.

"He's on his way."


	13. Chapter 13

Tony got off his flight at Kuwait.

Agent Freeman picked him up. The young agent smiled as Tony picked up his bag, "Agent DiNozzo?" Freeman asked the tired looking older man.

Tony grinned "Nope going by Agent Gibbs now." Tony had decided on the flight out he was going to use his new name now he was not on his dad's team anymore. At least it was one way of keeping his family close while he was gone.

They went to the head office and Tony picked up his new credentials and gun.

"Agent Gibbs?" His new boss looked up from his desk, evidently Agent freeman had called ahead to inform his boss of the name change.

"Tony." Tony held out his hand and his boss shook it.

"Paul Harding, I have read your file from Director Vance, Just to let you know I won't have any of your behavior here, you are here to do your job and that's that." Agent Harding looked the younger man over, he did not seem like the troublemaker Director Vance had put in his file, but just in case he would lay the ground rules out right now.

Tony nodded, he was too tired and too shell shocked to argue. Less than 24hours ago, he had a home and a family that loved him finally and his father had managed from beyond the grave to rip that away from him as well.

He had done a lot of thinking on the flight. He would do the job he had been sent to do, as best as he could, Tony DiNozzo was dead but Tony Gibbs would live up to his dad's name. He had to start with nothing before and he could do it again.

"Agent Harding, I'm not sure what has been put in my file, but I will do everything to make sure you and the agency are proud of me." Tony said.

Harding looked at the young man, he seemed broken somehow but determined. Harding made a mental note to have someone in Cyber crimes look into this man's file deeper, but for now decided to make him welcome and show him around.

He led the way showing Tony around the small office, filling him in on the three active cases they had, at the moment. "Here's your desk," He said, Tony nodded and sat down.

He pulled out a photo of him, Gibbs and Abby taken on the day of the adoption and placed it on his desk.

Harding could see the pain in Tony's eyes as he looked at the photo.

"Family?" he asked coming over to look.

Tony smiled, "My dad and my sister" he said.

Harding looked at the older man, "Hey isn't that Jethro Gibbs from D.C. he was on the NCIS recruitment magazine a while back. He's SAC of the MCRT, they are a heck of a team," Harding said in awe.

Tony smiled, "Yeah we were," He said softly. He shook his head clearing out old memories, "Yeah that's my dad and my sister Abby. She's our forensic scientist." He told him.

Harding was surprised and that did not happen to him very often. "So how come you requested a transfer out here?" he asked.

Tony liked the man and did not want to lie. However, he remembered Vance's words.

"Just after a change of scene, besides two Gibbs' in the office would have been confusing," he smiled although it did not quite reach his eyes.

"Later on Harding drove him to the barracks where he was to sleep. Tony unpacked the best he could lay in his bunk and silently cried himself to sleep feeling more alone than he ever had in years.

* * *

Gibbs was as mad as hell.

Storming into Vance's office had not changed the situation. Vance had recorded the encounter between him and Tony and with the help of a lackey down in the basement; he had doctored the tape to show what he wanted it too.

"Tony took the job of his own free will and left this for you." Gibbs was handed a letter. Which he read and dropped on the floor as he sat heavily in the chair.

"Leon, how could you let him do this?" Gibbs said.

"He was convinced your shooting was his fault and that he needed to start afresh, I'm sure he'll contact you as soon as he's settled.

"I want my son back Vance." Gibbs growled.

"I have to talk to Kuwait later we'll arrange to get him online," Vance said. It was a risky move on his part but the letter he had left with Tony assured him that he would not say anything to arouse suspicion.

Gibbs nodded and stalked out to the bullpen to fill the others in on what he had been told. Something in his gut told him that there was more at play here than he knew. Tim had shown him the footage from the elevator and now knew that Senior's will had also had something to do with this, but he was not going to press that yet.

* * *

Seven am the next morning Gibbs and Vance were in MTAC.

Paul Harding finished his conversation with Vance as Tony entered Kuwait's MTAC.

"Thank you Agent Harding, I'll get that information to you as soon as possible." Vance said smiling. His smile dropped as he saw Tony.

Tony put up his defensive walls. "Director Vance."

"Junior Agent DiNozzo." Vance said, Gibbs looked at Vance surprised at the title.

Tony had taken a demotion.

"Gibbs," Tony corrected him.

"I'm sorry?" Vance said confused.

"I go by Gibbs now, like my father, you couldn't…." Tony stopped when he saw the others in the room.

"DAD!" His face lit up. Tony's smile changed to a genuine one for a fraction of a second then he hid his smile again. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm doing fine son, we miss you." Gibbs said guardedly worried he might upset Tony. "Abby misses you."

"I miss her too, I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I was going it was a quick assignment."

"So Vance didn't force you to go?" Gibbs took the chance and asked him.

Vance looked up wondering what tony would say.

Tony wanted to scream "YES HE DID!" but realizing what losing the money Vance had would mean to his wife and children he looked to the floor. "No, it was a great opportunity I needed to make a fresh start."

He is lying; Gibbs' gut screamed at him, Tony would not even look at him.

"How are you settling in?" Gibbs asked.

"Fine…..I love it here." Tony lied.

He had been demoted, lost his family and friends all he wanted to do was go home.

His shoulders dropped and Gibbs knew exactly what his boy was thinking, "I'll bring you home soon son," He said.

Vance bristled.

"Agent Gibbs," Harding said. "We'll take good care of your boy," He smiled trying to help diffuse the tension.

Tony was still staring longingly at the screen when Vance cut the feed.

* * *

Gibbs turned to Vance.

"I want the truth and I want it now what do you have over my boy."

Vance lowered his eyes to the ground. "Gibbs, I…I was in DiNozzo Seniors will."

Vance said it quietly but Gibbs heard all the same.

"Shit! Will that boy never get a break?" Gibbs moaned. "So you think my family is worth $5 million."

Vance felt ashamed, "I knew Senior, I believed all he told me, it wasn't until Tony left that I realized I was wrong…" when he had left the caliber of work in the MCRT had gone down as had the quality of the reports which it was now obvious Tony had been writing.

Gibbs walked away from Vance. For Vance it was the safer move as Gibbs right then wanted to kill him.

"Did you hear me Gibbs? I said I was wrong." Vance tried pacifying him. Gibbs stormed out of MTAC with Vance following him.

Gibbs turned, "I want to see the real recording from your office, I want to see exactly what you have done to my son and God help me….." Gibbs left the threat unsaid.

However, on the lower floor the loud argument between both men was causing a stir.

It was not like Agent Gibbs had ever argued with the Director, but this was the first time a threat had been implied.

Vance realized he needed to save face in front of his agency, "Are you threatening me Agent Gibbs?" He said trying to stand up for himself.

"If I find out you've hurt my son, HELL YEAH!" Gibbs shoved Vance in the direction of his office calling for McGee over his shoulder as he went.

* * *

Tim took the stairs two at a time and practically fell into the Directors office.

"Boss, Director?" He asked breathlessly.

"Tim I want to see the real footage of Tony's meeting with the director." Gibbs said as Vance sat in his seat.

Gibbs watched as Tim pulled the real footage of his meeting with Tony.

His heart broke as he watched his boy hit rock bottom again and saw the devastation on his face when he was told he was MCRT's weakest link.

"For God sake Leon, He's the glue that holds us together." Gibbs growled.

"I only used what I saw and also I had this…" Vance handed Gibbs a letter. "I gave Di…Sorry Tony a copy." Vance admitted, handing Gibbs the letter that Senior had written to Vance before his death.

 


	14. Chapter 14

Gibbs looked at the letter in his hand and walked out of Vance's office and into the conference room. He wanted to be alone to read it.

'Dear Leon,' the letter began, Gibbs was already mad because starting the letter like this implied that Leon had known Senior and had never mentioned this fact.

'As discussed the other day, I do feel for you employing the worthless piece of filth I have for a son, I am sorry the information I supplied isn't enough for you to get him fired. I have, however , realized that when I am finally separated from my responsibilities for him, that I have to make sure he does not get his hands on any of the money I have worked so hard for.' Gibbs' anger grew and he took a big drink of his coffee. Feeling the caffeine work through his system he took a deep calming breath and continued reading.

'I have taken your advice and sought out a good lawyer who will carry out my wishes of distributing my money and putting in the caveat that anyone who has contact with the boy will instantly forfeit the money. In your case to avoid suspicion I have allowed you time to relocate him to a far away post, I would suggest a war zone, if you're lucky he may get killed while out there. I never told him, but he was such an annoyance having to keep him around after his mother died. He was a mistake anyway but no amount of money could convince my wife to get rid of her, I told her he'd be the death of her, and I made sure of it.' Gibbs' eyes grew wider did Senior just admit to murder?

Reading this he could feel the man's hatred but was floored by what he read next.

'Had the boy not killed my beautiful daughter we may have got on, the doctors told me it was his fault she didn't survive as she was starved of nutrients in the womb by her brother, the boy was a murderer before he was born and I will never forgive him for that. I named her Alicia and any love I could have had for the boy left when I buried her tiny body.'

So that was it, Senior's twisted mind had blamed Tony for something that occasionally happened in nature and was no one's fault.

'My last wish to you, my friend is that until the happy day when the boy finally gets what he deserves, you make his life a living hell. I know he has formed an attachment to his boss, Agent Gibbs. I hope you will do whatever it takes, to make sure Gibbs does not try to placate the boy in any way and that he finds no comfort with him. Remember, I know about your brother in law and his shady deals and my lawyer has a file that could cause irreparable damage to not only your reputation but the any chance of your children having a future too.' Senior had left the letter on a threat and signed it.

Gibbs slammed his fist into the wall leaving a hole in the plasterboard.

* * *

He walked back into Vance's office.

"You gave Tony a copy of this?" He growled menacingly at the Director as Tim looked up from his keyboard.

"I had no choice Gibbs….my family…he gave me no choice don't you see." Vance was practically begging Agent Gibbs to understand.

Gibbs turned to Vance with murder in his eyes, "You told him he was the weak link on my team!" Gibbs said so quietly and with so much menace Tim flinched.

Vance did not even try to defend his position.

"Tim, I want you to get all this information together." Gibbs said "Both the footage and this letter."

Vance's eyes grew wide, "Agent Gibbs you can't…"

Gibbs glared at Vance, "A month Vance, My son has been ripped away from his family for a month because you thought he was worth five million dollars. You were wrong he's worth so much more than that, he's irreplaceable and HE'S COMING HOME!"

"I will arrange his transfer, but he can't come back to MCRT." Vance said

"He can and he will. You will arrange for transport his whole team are going to get him including Ducky and Abby, for once he's going to know he's wanted and needed." Gibbs glared at him and Vance nodded and arranged the paperwork.

Tim and Gibbs went to the bullpen and told Ziva, Abby and Ducky that they were all going to Kuwait to bring Tony home.

* * *

Tony went back to his room, he had finally found a small apartment, it was run down the water did not work and there were rats but it had a roof and that was all he cared about.

It was not as if he ever had visitors anyway. Worst of all being in Kuwait meant there was no alcohol so even getting drunk to drown out the voices in his head was not an option.

Therefore, as he did every night he got his SIG out cleaned it and spent the evening going over the reasons why he shouldn't kill himself.

His new boss was worried about him, since coming over he had not attempted to make any friendships although his co-workers had tried.

He came in looked over the cold case they had for him, wrote suggestions on sticky notes and passed them over and then went home.

The most animated anyone had seen him was that day when he had talked to his dad in MTAC. If he had not seen it, he, Harding would have sworn to anyone that Agent Gibbs did not know how to smile.

* * *

The next morning Tony walked into work, "Morning Agent Gibbs," Harding said walking up to his junior Agent.

"Good morning Agent Harding, what do you need?" Tony asked flatly.

"Nothing…we have some visitors coming in later and I would like you to meet them," Harding told him.

"Maybe Agent Freeman would be a better choice," Tony argued the last thing he wanted was to have to be polite or talk to anyone.

"Come on it'll get you out of the basement." Harding prodded. "I'll come with to meet them at the airport then I want you to show them around." Harding said. He was not going to miss this for the world.

* * *

Fourteen hours after they had taken off the team arrived in Kuwait.

They grabbed their baggage and headed for the exit of the airport.

Gibbs looked around to see Agent Harding and Tony waiting for them. Tony's face was like stone and he was staring solidly at the floor.

Gibbs smiled and walked behind him and headslapped him.

"Dad?" Tony looked bewildered, for a moment Gibbs thought he might have actually given his son concussion. For less than a second a look of joy crossed his face and then his walls came up.

Gibbs looked worried he had hoped that having everyone turn up would cheer him up but Tony said hello to everyone was polite but he tensed when Abby hugged him and would not engage in conversation.

He drove the party back to headquarters, Harding turned to Gibbs, "I'm sorry I had hoped the surprise would get him out of this mood." He said as they sat in the back of the van.

Tony was driving and desperately trying to hold it together.

His dad was here, but why? He hoped it was to bring him back, but he felt it was probably to show the team what would happen if they were as worthless as he was.

He let them into the office and Gibbs motioned his team to go with Harding.

* * *

He guided Tony off to one side and his heart broke as Tony flinched at his touch.

"Tony?" Gibbs asked, "Are you pleased to see us?"

Tony looked distraught, "Of course I am…..why are you here?" He asked guardedly.

Gibbs sat his son down, "Tony, everything Senior put it that letter was wrong."

Tony moved out of Gibbs' way, "You read the letter?" he asked ashamed.

Gibbs looked at Tony he had not seen that look since he had found him with Zeke in his shelter. Every piece of venerability Tony tried to hide was pouring off him in waves. "I…." Tony looked up scared.

"It. Was. Not. Your. Fault!" Gibbs punctuated each word to make sure Tony understood.

"But Vance said you didn't want me on your team and that you had requested my transfer. I….I was the weak link." He said sadly.

"You are not the weak link on my team; you are the glue that keeps us together." Tony looked up a flicker of hope starting to build.

Gibbs headslapped him, "Do ya think we'd all have flown over here to bring you home if you weren't."

"I…I can go home?" Tony asked, "You want me home?"

Gibbs pulled him into a hug.

"Of course I want you home, you're my son where else should you be."

Tony looked up embarrassed "Erm, Dad…..I sold my apartment."

 


	15. Chapter 15

They walked to the other room and Ziva and Tim greeted Tony, "You are coming home with us, no?" Ziva asked

"Yes," Tony smiled.

Abby launched herself at her big brother, "Why did you send dad that letter?" She said hugging him but still mad at him.

Tony pulled away as McGee and Ziva looked on confused.

"What letter?" Tim asked.

Tony shuffled his feet and leant against his desk.

"Vance told me to make you guys believe that I wanted the transfer, so I wrote a letter to dad explaining why I wanted to leave you guys and ship my ass halfway around the world." He looked ashamed.

"Three days it took him to come out of the basement, I don't know what you said in it, he won't tell us." Abby said poking her father in the chest at the same time.

"It doesn't matter now Abbs," Gibbs said. "Tim, Abby you find us accommodations for tonight and tomorrow we will leave, Ziva and I will go help Tony pack."

* * *

Harding walked up to Gibbs, "You have a great boy there, I'm gonna miss having him on my team,"

Gibbs looked at Harding, "Do you have a minute?" He asked Harding nodded and they turned to go into his office.

"Gibbs, you'd better tie up your paperwork for the next kid they send my way!" Harding shot back at Tony who nodded and sat down at his desk.

Gibbs and Harding sat down in the small air-conditioned office, and Harding looked up at the Senior Agent. "He's been really hurting you know?" Harding said.

"I know, thanks for looking out for him," Gibbs sat and took a sip of the coffee Harding offered him and nodded appreciatively.

"I was expecting trouble when he arrived. I don't know what Director Vance said to him but he's been nothing like his transcripts said, My wife loves him and he's been great with my kids, the few times we've managed to get him to come over for dinner" Harding paused, "He's been very quiet, I think your boy has been hurting bad. Having seen what Director Vance said about him, it's a wonder he still works for NCIS, I would have quit."

"Can I see?" Gibbs asked.

Harding nodded and handed him Tony's file.

Gibbs read it getting angrier by the moment, "Tony's nothing like that!"

"I noticed, he's kept his head down since he's been here, but I've been worried about him, he's not interacted with anyone here except for the bare minimum for him to do his job."

Harding put a hand up to placate Gibbs as he started to argue, "No,I mean, his work is exemplary he has cracked cases we've had on our books for years, but he won't talk to anyone about anything but work." Harding explained.

"So he's not made a friend or mixed with anyone outside work?" Gibbs asked.

"Besides dinner with my family, No, and I've been to the rat hole he calls an apartment," Harding took a breath, "He had enough money to get a better place but told me it was what he deserved, why did he get sent here?" he asked,

"Long story, at least he's coming home now. I'm off to help him pack" Gibbs said standing up.

"Shouldn't take too long he doesn't own much, he sold most of his stuff when he got here and helped out the local orphanage." Harding smiled, "Heart of gold that kid."

Gibbs shook his hand and went back to Tony's desk.

* * *

"You ready to pack son?" He asked.

"Y…you could wait here, it won't take long?" Tony said.

"Nope, I wanna see your place." Gibbs pushed.

Tony looked embarrassed, "Ok." He said quietly knowing that there was no way he was going to win an argument he just led the way to his car.

They pulled up at an alleyway and Gibbs took in the big white building, it did not look too bad he thought and then Tony walked past the building down the side and round the back to a smaller tattier brown mud bricked building.

He opened the door to the building and as he walked to the back, Ziva and Gibbs cringed at the sight of the rats running down the corridor.

He opened the door to his room and walked in, there was a chair a small cot and a table and not much else in the room Tony's bag was quickly pulled out from under the bed, he kicked the bag and a rat ran out. He kicked it two more times to make sure it was safe and picked up the few items of clothing he had scattered around the room.

"All packed dad," He said.

"You've been living here?" Gibbs was stunned that any human could live in these conditions.

"Vance set the accommodations up for me, said it was what I deserved." Tony said noncommittally.

"I'll kill him," Gibbs grumbled under his breath.

"But he was right!" Tony said.

Gibbs looked at him astonished, "Why on earth would you think that?"

Tony did not answer he just shrugged.

* * *

Gibbs sat on the one chair in Tony's apartment and sat his son down on the bed.

"Tony look at me!" he ordered.

"Yessir," Tony mumbled.

"I know you were here a month, but you need to know It's taken me that long to get all the details I needed against Vance and to arrange your transfer home. I did not believe the letter you sent. I know you don't think I am the same, as Senior and I know you didn't mean what you said about Kelly and Shannon, you were hurting son. I know that and I still love you and still want to be your dad." Gibbs put his arm around his son and held him as Tony sobbed into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry dad." Tony said

"It's OK, I know you didn't mean what you wrote," Gibbs said again reassuring him.

"If I come home…." Tony started and Gibbs cut him off.

"When, you come home." Gibbs said.

Tony nodded, "What about Vance?" he asked

"What about him?" Gibbs said.

"Vance got five million from Senior. If I go back, he will lose all that money. What about his kids?" Tony looked worried.

"Listen, you don't need to worry about that. You just need to come home with your family, I'll worry about it, I'm your dad it's my job." Gibbs looked Tony in the eye and watched him gather himself together.

"So, you up for a house guest?" Tony quipped as his frat boy mask slipped on.

"Your room is all ready for you." Gibbs said, "Come on son lets go home."

* * *

They left the apartment and Tony went with them to the hotel.

At about 2am Gibbs knocked on Tony's door, "You know we have a plane to catch and McGee and Ziva are already asleep." He said as his two children sat on Tony's bed catching up.

"Aww dad?" Tony said, "Abby was telling me all about the nuns' last bowling tournament."

"SLEEP!" Gibbs growled forcefully at his children, he walked out for another coffee, ten minutes later, he looked in on them and smiled as both Tony and Abby were fast asleep, wrapped in each other's arms with Bert the Hippo wedged in between them.

Contented he went to bed knowing the next few days would be interesting.

* * *

Having Settled Tony into his house, Gibbs started making calls.

Tony awoke and went downstairs to find Abby eating breakfast in her PJ's and Gibbs making pancakes and coffee.

"Come on, you gotta eat before we go into work." Gibbs said smiling.

Tony looked confused, he shrugged his shoulders took a couple of bites of pancake and inhaled the coffee.

"Need you both dressed and ready to go in five minutes," Gibbs said and grinned as both his children scrambled for their bedrooms to get dressed.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Abby stood in the coffee shop where Gibbs had dropped her off, waiting for the coffee orders and her Caf-Pow when she saw Jackie Vance walk in.

"Morning, Abigail." She smiled at her, but her smile quickly left as she saw the look of anger that crossed Abby's face. "Are you ok?" She asked concerned.

Abby wanted to be mad at Jackie for all the damage Leon had done to her family but she did not have it in her heart instead she burst into tears and told Jackie what had been going on.

Jackie sat shocked as she heard all that Tony had been through, how he had finally gotten a family worthy of him and then to find out her own husband ripped that away from him.

"I knew that Leon knew DiNozzo Senior. I didn't like him, but Leon had business with him, I had no idea he treated his son that way." Jackie said handing Abby a tissue.

Abby took the tissue and wiped her eyes, "Senior left all his money to his relatives and business associates on condition that no one saw or contacted Tony again, he ripped away any chance Tony had of a family, then…" She sniffed, "Then Leon got left some money and he took Tony away from us, just as we had gotten him, I lost my new brother and Gibbs was heartbroken by a letter Tony wrote, that Vance made him write so that Gibbs wouldn't bring him back."

Jackie hugged Abby, "You just let me deal with this." She said.

Abby picked up her order and left. Jackie made a phone call and headed towards the Navy yard.

* * *

Tony and Gibbs walked into the bullpen.

"Sit." Gibbs said he noticed how Tony's eyes kept darting up to Vance's office, he was obviously scared of the Director but was trying his hardest not to show it.

Ziva and Tim walked in and smiled at Tony reassuringly. "Welcome back Tony." Ziva said.

"Anthony, Welcome back." Ducky said as he walked in.

Tony smiled, "Hey Ducky,"

Gibbs walked up and handed Tony his badge and gun. Tony looked at his I.D and grinned, "Really?" he smiled for the first time in a long time he felt happy.

Tim and Ziva looked on questioningly.

"Did you give him it?" Abby called walking into the bullpen.

"Yep!" Tony grinned and showed his sister his new I.D.

"Got one for you too Abbs," Gibbs said

"COOL!" Abby said throwing her arms around him in a hug.

"OK Abbs, Back to work," Gibbs said,

"Sure thing dad," Abby grinned as Gibbs walked to the elevator with his daughter.

Tony smiled and Ziva looked over at him, "You looked like the cat that ate the budgie." She said

Tony laughed, "It's the cat that ate the canary, Ziva." He chuckled, "I'm just pleased to be back." He said.

His phone rang, "Gibbs." He said and both Tim and Ziva's faces broke into smiles,

"Ok sure?" Tony put the phone down.

"You had your I.D changed permanently?" Tim asked.

"Yep, both me and Abby." Tony told them and he picked up the phone, "Dad, SECNAV is in the building and wants to see me." He said and put the phone down.

* * *

Gibbs raced to the Bullpen just as Secretary Jervis, Jackie Vance, Fornell and Sacks got off the elevator. Jackie walked over to Tony who tried to make himself, as inconspicuous as possible.

Tony's flight response kicked in knowing that if he saw her, her children would miss out on the money Leon had inherited from Senior.

"God Tony I'm so sorry!" Jackie cried and gave him a huge hug. Tony looked uncomfortable and confused. He tensed up as she hugged him.

"DINOZZO!" Vance's voice echoed down from the balcony and Tony jumped just as Gibbs got there.

"LEON VANCE YOU COME DOWN HERE, RIGHT NOW!" Jackie yelled at her husband. She turned to Tony, "Don't you worry it's time we sorted this out." She said.

"Hello Jackie," Leon said to his wife.

"Don't you dare, hello Jackie me!" She spat at him, "What in the hell do you think you've been up to?" She asked him.

"DiNozzo why are you holding my wife?" Leon growled and Gibbs stood in his way.

"That is my son. Special Agent Tony Gibbs, Not DiNozzo!" Gibbs said standing up for his boy.

"I told you Gibbs, he can't work here," Vance had recovered some of the bravado he had, had before Gibbs and his team had gone to bring Tony back.

"I say he can!" said a voice from behind Leon.

Leon whirled with a retort on his lips, which quickly died as he realized who the owner of the voice was.

"Secretary Jervis, Sir." Leon said stunned.

"Director Vance, I am here with the FBI to have you arrested on charges of embezzlement in collusion with one Anthony DiNozzo Senior, you are hereby fired and are to be held pending charges," Clayton Jervis said with a smile on his face.

"This is your entire fault DiNozzo!" Vance spat.

"No Leon, This is YOUR FAULT," Jackie said to her husband, "I know what you did and I am filing for divorce."

"NO!" Tony said, "Mrs. Vance, I'll just leave, you and your kids need that money," He went to pick up his bag but Clayton Jervis stopped him.

"Tony, I know what my husband did and I want no part of this, we have money we will be fine." Jackie assured him.

"Special Agent Gibbs, you have been one of the most talented undercover investigators I have ever seen, you will continue to be on the MCRT where your skills are not only valuable but are needed." SECNAV said.

Tony looked stunned to be told by someone other than his team that he was not worthless was not only a surprise it was a unique experience.

"See, now do you believe us?" Tim said pleased for his friend.

Tony nodded dumbly as he sat heavily in his chair a huge smile breaking out over his face.

He turned to Gibbs, "Dad you called SECNAV?" He asked.

Jackie walked up to him, "No I did, having talked to your sister," She waited for a nod to confirm she had got that right, "And putting two and two together I figured out what my soon to be ex-husband was up to."

"You've ruined my family!" Vance spat at Tony.

Everyone at that moment seemed to place themselves in-between Vance and Tony. Both men were shocked. Vance because he did not think Tony could inspire that sort of loyalty and Tony because he did not think he warranted that sort of loyalty.

"Leon the only person who ruined our family is you, I have to tell your children that their father stole money from the government and betrayed the people he worked for, THAT is all your fault." Jackie said and turned her back on him.

"Cuff him and take him away," Jervis said to Fornell who did just that with a huge grin on his face.

* * *

"Do you think the embezzlement charges will stick?" Gibbs asked.

"There is more than enough evidence, we just needed the extra information that Mrs. Vance provided. We have been looking into Leon and DiNozzo Senior's relationship, ever since Vance was promoted and the first thing he did was break up your MCRT sending Tony off as an Agent Afloat. It rang a few alarm bells." SECNAV explained.

"We did at one point wonder if you were involved but it became apparent very quickly that you had nothing to do with what was going on. It appears DiNozzo Senior and Ex-Director Vance knew each other from college."

"So who is going to replace Director Vance?" Ziva asked.

SECNAV looked pointedly at Gibbs, "What me NO WAY!" he growled and Clayton laughed, "No, I just couldn't resist it Jethro." He smiled.

Gibbs looked relieved, "David has a valid point though, and who will be replacing him?"

"Hey Boss," Came a voice from behind him, "Did I miss all the fun?"

"Stan?" Gibbs said shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't Clayton tell you?" Stan Burley asked confused.

"YOU!" Gibbs said. "You're the new Director of NCIS."

"Yep! You gonna be ok working with me?" Stan asked.

"Don't cha mean for you?" Gibbs said remembering having the exact same conversation with Jenny Sheppard when she became Director.

Stan laughed, "Now Boss, don't start having flashbacks about me!"

Gibbs turned red, "Huh!"

"See, DiNozzo, you can't keep a secret." Stan said

"Actually it's Gibbs and I can, here's one for you Gibbs adopted me and Abby so we are both Gibbs' too!" Tony said and then winced as his dad headslapped him.

"Welcome back Stan." Gibbs said "Yeah I can work with you as long as you aren't planning on splitting up my family."

"Never Boss, Oops I mean Gibbs…." He stopped as Abby, Tony and Gibbs looked at him. "Good Grief!"

"OK first official act, you three, first names only…..er except you Boss." Stan tapered off as Gibbs glared at him and then grinned.

"Yes Sir Director Sir," He smirked.

Stan rolled his eyes "Good Grief Jet, parenthood has mellowed you."

 


	17. Chapter 17

Stan leant over the railing and watched the MCRT hard at work. Sometimes he missed being on the team but he liked watching how well they work together.

He had liked Tony ever since he had met him. He was glad SECNAV had gotten rid of Vance and allowed Tony to remain on Team Gibbs.

He swallowed not liking what he was about to do but he had already decided that this was the best way to handle the situation he picked up his cell and dialed.

"Gibbs," came the gruff voice from downstairs

"I need you in my office," Stan said as Gibbs looked up at the voice

"On my way." Gibbs said

Stan retreated to his office and sat at his desk just as Gibbs walked in

"Director?" Gibbs said, with a hint of a grin.

"Are you ever going to be able to say that without grinning?" Stan asked

"Probably not," Gibbs admitted. "What's up?"

"Vance's trial starts this week. I'm worried about Tony, how's he holding up?" Stan asked.

"He said he's ok but he's been having nightmares," Gibbs admitted. "Although he'd never admit to it."

"It's going to be a lot for you guys to go through, I'm standing the MCRT down for the next two weeks so you guys can get through this," Stan said

Gibbs smiled, "Thanks Stan, I'm doing steaks tonight, you coming over?"

"Sure I haven't had one of your steaks in ages Jet."

Gibbs glared at him, and Stan laughed, "It's either that or Gibbs, Gibbs and Gibbs. And I'm not Jenny so calling you Jethro is out."

"It's my name," Gibbs growled.

Stan smirked, "Yeah but I could never pull it off as well as she could."

Gibbs shook his head incredulously as they both walked out of Stan's office towards the bullpen. "Sometimes there's no living with you," he said with a grin.

Both men laughed.

Tony had been more settled, since Vance had been arrested.

He had rejoined the MCRT and had moved permanently into his dad's house. Although he was not a kid no one begrudged him finally having the family life he had missed for so many years.

He had been happier for the past few months his work had improved and he had grown more confident although Ziva had joked that really was not a good thing.

* * *

Tony stood at his desk as Vance stood there smiling with his father as his Dad, Abby Tim and Ziva were led away.

"You broke our agreement by coming back, they are all being sent to GitMo." Vance said as He and Senior were laughing as Tony screamed, "DAD! ABBY! NOOOO!"

Gibbs turned to him, "I should never have adopted you this is your entire fault."

"NOOOOO!" Tony cried.

He sat up and ran a hand over his face, the state of the bed told him he had, had another nightmare. He also realized he was crying. He wiped his eyes and pulled himself together.

He had awakened early and even though it was still dark, he could hear his dad pottering about in the kitchen and could smell the coffee already.

He went to the bathroom and fifteen minutes later was dressed and entering the kitchen.

"Hey dad." Tony said as Gibbs looked up from reading the morning paper and drinking his second coffee of the day.

"Morning Son, sleep well?" Gibbs asked noticing the dark circles under Tony's eyes.

"Yeah fine." Tony said he knew by the silence that his dad did not believe him but he did not press the point knowing Tony would only say something if he felt he needed to.

"Are we starting late today?" Tony asked noticing his dad was in his jeans, t-shirt and a hoodie.

"We are off rotation, so we have the next two weeks off, I thought I'd surprise you." Gibbs smiled affectionately at his son.

"Cool I'll get changed," Tony said.

"Don't be too long Abby will be here soon and pack a bag for the weekend." Gibbs said.

"Where are we going?" Tony asked.

"To see your grandfather." Gibbs smiled at the huge grin that split Tony's face.

"Jackson! Did you tell him you had adopted me and Abby?" Tony asked.

"Haven't got around to it yet we are going to surprise him," Tony's grin faltered for a fraction of a second then he ran upstairs to get changed.

Before he knew it, he heard his sister burst in with her usual abundance of energy.

"DAD, TONY!" Abby called.

"In here Abbs," Gibbs answered his daughter who came in and hugged him.

"This is going to be awesome, Jackson will be so surprised." She smiled.

"Abby, I am hoping that Jack will come back with us for a few weeks, he needs a holiday do ya think you can help me convince him?" He asked her.

She practically bounced on the spot "Ooh a secret mission." She grinned.

"Hey Abbs," Tony said dropping his bag beside hers.

Abby hugged her big brother and poked his chest, "Shotgun!" she called. Tony

Groaned, "Aww Abbs that means I've gotta ride the whole way in the back, and I'm bigger than you." Tony complained.

"Come on, " Gibbs called grabbing the car keys, "Tony Abby called it you can sit in the front on the way home ok."

Tony grumbled to himself by climbed into the back seat.

* * *

4 hours later, they pulled up outside Jackson Gibbs' store.

Tony climbed out of the back seat and stretched as Gibbs and Abby walked into the store.

"Leroy!" Jackson said with a smile, "And the beautiful Ms Scuito."

"Nope it's Gibbs now." Abby smiled as Jacksons eyes widened in shock and he looked at his son.

"You got married?" He asked

"Nope, Dad I adopted Abby and Tony." Gibbs said smiling, "I brought your grandkids to see you."

Jackson threw open his arms. "Come here," He smiled and Hugged his new granddaughter.

Tony walked in behind them Jackson hugged Tony, who flinched a little,

"Welcome to the family." Jackson said to them both.

"Thanks Mr. Gibbs." Tony said.

Jackson raised his eyebrow in surprise. "It's Grandpa to you both." He smiled.

Gibbs got his kids settled in and went to the front of the store to talk to his dad.

"It's a good thing you've done for them kids." Jackson said to his son.

"They've been good for me too dad." Gibbs admitted.

"How long are you staying?" Jackson asked.

"Just the weekend, I was hoping you'd come home with us though," Gibbs said and over a coffee Gibbs told his father what had happened with his new grandson and why he really needed the family support over the next few weeks.

By the end of the conversation, Jackson had tears in his eyes, "That poor boy!" he said shocked.

"Will you come?" Gibbs asked

"Of course Leroy, your son needs family around him at a time like this."

Tony and Abby walked into the shop, "Grandpa Can we help out in the shop?" Abby asked. Tony looked hopeful but did not say anything.

"Sure kids there is always lots to do in the store," He gave Abby a pricing gun and Tony a broom.

They both started work and were grinning all day as Jackson proudly showed off his new grandkids to everyone who came into the store.

 


	18. Chapter 18

The weekend passed without a hitch, Jackson reveled in his new grandkids and enjoyed having them about.

Tony and Abby were very relaxed but seemed subdued by Sunday evening as they were packing.

"I'm gonna miss you Grandpa Jack," Abby said hugging him with tears in her eyes.

"Can't for the life of me see why, seeing as I'm coming back with you." Jack said smiling.

"YAY!" Abby leapt up and down and hugged him, "Dad why didn't you say?" She asked Gibbs.

"Didn't want to spoil the surprise Abbs," He said,

Tony sat in the car on the ride home uncharacteristically silent.

It was just him and Gibbs as Abby had opted after a small suggestion from Gibbs to ride back with Jackson.

"Ya wanna tell me what's buggin' you?" Gibbs asked

"Vance." Was all that Tony said. It was all he needed to say Gibbs pulled over and got out.

"I know the trial starts Monday Tony, but you won't have to do it alone." Gibbs reassured him as he squatted down my Tony's side looking him in the eye.

"But everyone is going to know what my dad did and how Vance helped him they are all going to know about me." Tony looked at Gibbs desperate. Whether it was for reassurance, support or just to know if there was someone who believed in him he did not know.

Gibbs pulled his Son into a hug, "You have done nothing to be ashamed of, those who know you, know that and you are not alone, that's why Grandpa Jack has come back with us, and your whole family will be here for support."

Tony nodded, "I know this Dad, but I can't help but feel that I shouldn't put you out and I should do this by myself and not bother you I'm…"

"YOU ARE WORTH IT!" Gibbs said to him wondering how many times he would have to keep saying it until his son got that.

Tony flinched, he cast his eyes to the ground, "thanks" he said quietly.

"Now let's head home before Abby eats all the pizza I've ordered for dinner." He said and got back into the car.

"Sausage, cheese and pepperoni?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Like I'd get any other kind," Gibbs smiled at him and they drove home.

* * *

Even with the stop, the way Gibbs drove they actually made it home a good ten minutes before Jackson and Abby.

After the kids had gone up to bed, Jackson went down into the basement to find Gibbs working on his boat.

"You ok Leroy?" He asked his son.

Gibbs nodded and kept sanding his boat; Jackson took a seat and watched for a while.

"It's not fair dad." Gibbs muttered, but Jackson caught it anyway.

"What's not fair?" he asked.

"Tony, I really love that kid, he's so….Tony." Gibbs said lost for words "How can he have turned out the way he has having had Senior for a father, all the things that man threw at him. God, Dad! He is dead and it still is not over for him. All I want is for Tony to know that it's ok to be loved by us and to accept that he isn't worthless." Gibbs sighed, put down the sander, picked up a jar with bourbon in, and took a drink.

"That boy has had over thirty years where the people who should have loved him and protected him treated him like shit, ingrained behaviour like that don't just go away just because he has you now." Jackson reasoned.

"Well it should Dammit!" Gibbs said trying to keep his voice down so as not to wake either Abby or Tony

"Is Tony going to the whole thing?" Jackson asked talking about the trial.

"I don't want him to, It's bad enough the head of the Agency he worked for was selling information for Senior to use to make a killing in deals, but to have to hear about how they both planned to destroy the poor boy, he shouldn't have to hear that." Gibbs said.

"He may not have been yours on paper for the past ten years, but you've been his father and he'll be strong enough. We will all support him where needed. One day he will trust you enough to ask for your help." Jackson said.

Gibbs hugged his dad, "Thanks dad."

Jackson smiled as he followed his son out of the basement and they both went off to bed.

* * *

Gibbs stopped outside Tony's bedroom door as his father went into the guest room.

He heard something, he thought about continuing to bed, but his gut told him to check on Tony.

Tony was thrashing about in bed, caught in the covers and whimpering quietly, fast asleep in the midst of a nightmare.

"'m sorry, please don't" he cried.

Gibbs move the chair next to his sons bed and went to stroke his forehead hoping it would settle him.

On touch and Tony shot across the room from fast asleep to awake in less than a second.

"NO!" he screamed.

"Tony, it's ok, you're home. It was just a dream." Gibbs hugged him as his sons breathing settled.

"God I hate rats." He said with a lopsided grin.

"Rats?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, great freaking big ones… with clown hats." Tony said trying to distract Gibbs as to what his nightmare was about.

"Okaaay, rats then." Gibbs said in a tone that conveyed to Tony that not only did he know that was not what the nightmare was about but that he was not going to push him on it either. "Come on busy day tomorrow, back to bed." He said and helped Tony back to bed.

He sat for a while as his son settled. Even though Tony was grown up, his need to be parented was as strong as a child's and he did not say anything about Gibbs watching over him. In fact, although he was not ready to admit it, he found it comforting.

Gibbs sighed as he finally left to get some sleep. Tomorrow was not going to be a big day; it was going to be huge.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Tony woke up at 5 am, the house was quiet and he figured he could get himself together without disturbing anyone.

He swung his feet out of bed and caught his foot in one of Gibbs' shoes.

"What the hell?" He cursed remembering his dad coming in and sitting beside his bed as he fell back to sleep.

Groaning he walked to the bathroom and started his ablutions emerging twenty minutes later he wound his way downstairs to the smell of coffee in the kitchen to find both Gibbs and Jackson sitting around the kitchen table reading the papers.

Gibbs put the paper down and motioned Tony to sit, "Coffee?" He asked sticking a stack of bacon and pancakes down in front of him.

"Thanks dad." Tony said, he looked at the food and paled, he knew Gibbs would want him to eat it but he felt sick to his stomach this morning.

"Just try it son," Jackson said and Tony relaxed and nodded.

He took the coffee Gibbs offered, "You know you don't have to come today." He said.

"We'll be there," Gibbs said

Tony nodded, he was in two minds on one hand he didn't want to do this alone but on the other hand he worried that Gibbs would think the worst of him if everything Vance and Senior had done came out.

He felt responsible for his father's part in this and irrationally thought that the others would think that if Senior could corrupt someone in a position of power like Vance then as his father used to say the apple does not fall far from the tree.

* * *

Sitting in the courtroom Vance looked around to see if anyone from NCIS was going to be there to support DiNozzo.

He did feel slightly bad for the boy, but years of listening to Senior made him squash that feeling and the usual hatred for him came bubbling back up.

Gibbs glared at Vance as he walked into the room and made sure that when Tony sat down he was shielded from the man, with himself on one side and Jackson on the other. Abby had been told to stay away even though she wanted to be there to support her brother (and she had given him an extra big hug before he left this morning,) Gibbs had thought it to be less traumatic for Tony if she wasn't there to listen to all the gory details about Vance and Seniors relationship.

Tony sat during the swearing in with his eyes fixed on a spot just above the judges head, his hand were gripping the bench either side of his legs with his arms ridged.

Gibbs put his hand over Tony's "Calm down, nothing said in here today will change our relationship." He whispered to him. Gibbs felt better as Tony loosened up a little bit.

The charges were read out "Leon Vance you have been charged with aiding the late Anthony DiNozzo Senior in embezzlement from the United States Navy and for fraudulently giving contracts to companies owned or in other ways connected to Anthony DiNozzo Senior for the sole purpose of receiving funds from the US Navy." The bailiff said.

The trial started and Leon's lawyers argued in his defense that DiNozzo Senior had been blackmailing him.

Tony had been fidgeting through all of this until it was his turn to get up on the stand.

Gibbs gave his sons' hand a squeeze for support as Tony went to the dock and sat down.

* * *

"Anthony DiNozzo Junior…." The prosecution started.

"Erm…NO, Actually I'm Tony Gibbs." Tony said. "But I was Anthony DiNozzo Junior," He clarified.

"Can you explain your change of name?" The judge asked confused.

"Yes your honor, I was adopted about eight months ago by Leroy Jethro Gibbs." he shot a smiled towards his dad.

The judge nodded "Very well continue."

"Tony Gibbs, we already know you were Anthony DiNozzo Junior, can you tell me what you knew of the business dealings between your late father and Leon Vance."

"At the time not much, I wasn't allowed near my father when he and Vance talked business, although when I was being punished I could hear what they were talking about." He said.

"I know it was a long time ago but can you give us the gist of what you heard?" The lawyer asked knowing he was straying into hearsay territory but hoping some of what Tony had to say would help his case.

"I would hear them talking about contracts and how they could get them for friends for favors and percentages." Tony replied.

"Your honor," the defense lawyer objected, "This is all hearsay he just admitted he wasn't in the room."

"I was in the room," Tony stated. The judge looked at him intrigued. "Can you for the record clarify where you where in the room?" He asked.

Tony looked at the floor, not really wanting to answer he looked briefly from Vance to Gibbs seeing horror on the first man's face knowing what he may reveal and support on the other man's face.

Tony took comfort in the support hoping that his dad would not get mad, as he had not told him this.

"I….I was in my kennel," He took a deep breath and knew he had to continue, "My father would regularly beat me and he had a kinda box made up three sides wood and one side bars so I wouldn't escape. As they talked business if I was good father and Vance would throw peanuts at me."

He smiled a bit, which threw the lawyer and Gibbs off. They were shocked that Tony's childhood had been that bad, but Tony felt the times when Vance and Senior threw food at him as one of his happier memories; those were the days, when he knew he would get attention and food.

Vance paled he had not realized that Tony remembered those days and to be honest until Vance had told him about his connection with Senior, Tony had forgotten the two men had known each other and he had not remembered him from his childhood.

Vance glared at Tony, Senior had been right. He remembered the night when he had stopped Senior from killing the boy and they had decided to throw him out onto the streets instead. Now that was one mistake he wished he had never made.

More questions followed and Tony answered them as succinctly as he could.

* * *

Finally it was over Tony was excused and he walked straight past Gibbs and Jackson and out of the courtroom.

Gibbs nodded at Jackson and followed his son out of the courtroom.

Following his gut, he walked into the mens room.

"Tony?" He called quietly.

There was no answer but he heard sniffing, he followed the sound to the last stall and pushed gently on the door.

"Come here," He said and held his arms out.

Tony looked up, launched himself into his dad's arms, and sobbed.

"I'm sorry." He said eventually as the sobs died down and Gibbs looked at him.

"What for?" He asked genuinely confused. "You've just been incredibly brave and I'm proud of you."

"For…for keeping secrets?" Tony answered but it sounded more like a question as he said it.

"Did you deliberately keep that from me?" Gibbs asked his son.

"No…I didn't even remember until I was asked the question." He admitted.

"Can I ask you a question?" Gibbs asked slightly worried about the answer.

Tony nodded as he wiped his eyes

Gibbs held him reassuringly as he asked the question, "Tony, Son….why did you smile at the memory, the one of Vance and senior throwing food at you in that….that kennel?" he asked

"Cos it was a happy memory, that day they paid attention to me and although I wasn't let out for 3 days because of what they threw at me I had food too!" Tony replied he was slightly confused that Gibbs could not tell that it was a happy memory.

"You know," Tony, continued, "It was just after that that my father and Vance took me into New York city." He said remembering.

"My father had been drunk. He had beaten me for...something….." He did not want to tell his dad what for and Gibbs did not press, "Father was going to kill me but Vance said something about not wanting to ruin business so instead of taking me to the hospital, Father and Vance left me behind the Empire State building."

Tony laughed a sad hollow laugh, "Hey dad, Vance saved my life. I owe him one," he said.

"I think you're even," Gibbs replied. He got up and helped Tony up, "Come on, Lets find Grandpa and go home."

They headed off to find Jackson with Gibbs thinking it slightly ironic that he had just had that conversation with his son on the floor of the mens room. He hoped the next conversation he had like that with his son was somewhere more comfortable and much more hygienic.

 


	20. Chapter 20

For two weeks, the papers and the T.V. were full of details of the trial. Gibbs had finally banned Tony from watching T.V. as he was upset at the coverage, even after the huge talk he'd had with his dad the thought that he could have somehow prevented this was somewhere in the forefront of his mind.

Although after the talk Tony seemed to have finally accepted his place within the family and Gibbs was pleased his son had settled down. Even to the point where without thinking Tony had referred to his house as home, rather than Gibbs' house, which is what he had called it so far.

Tony had walked into Abby's lab as Gibbs was picking her up for the evening for a family dinner as he had decided both his kids needed cheering up having had top deal with the gauntlet of reporters for the past few days trying to get interviews with Tony and sound bites off of Gibbs, Abby and the MCRT.

Abby had just finished cleaning up as Tony walked in and leant against the door jam.

"Hey, Abs." He said tiredly, although he would never admit it he was tired and the pressure of the trial, even though he had not had to testify again was wearing him down. The thought that Leon, and by extension Senior, would beat this gave Tony chills he just wanted this nightmare to end.

"Tony!" Abby squealed excited to see her brother, "I didn't know you were picking me up?"

"Dad's upstairs finishing off some paperwork, sent me down to get ya. Are you ready?" He asked.

She looked, making sure everything was tidy and switched off.

"Sure, Tony, are you sure you're ok, you look tired." She asked concerned as she guided him into a chair and looked him in the eyes.

Tony groaned and ran a hand over his face, "God Abs, I'm so tired, I just wish this was over. I just want to go home and spend an evening with you and dad and pretend none of this was going on." He looked at her all his masks dropped, he never really used them with Abby anyway.

Abby hugged him, "Come then Bro, let's get dad and go home."

As Abby moved to her office to get her coat and bag, Gibbs who was outside the lab eavesdropping went back to the stairs and headed upstairs smiling. Although he was concerned about the toll this was taking on his son, he had just heard him finally refer to them as his family and his house as home.

Today was the day of the verdict and sentencing in Vance's case.

To say that Tony woke early was the world's biggest understatement; he had not actually slept the night before. He wandered into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.

'OK get a grip today it's going to be over.' He thought to himself he washed up and got dressed. Smiling as he passed Abby's room and heard her still snoring.

Gibbs was as usual already up and in the kitchen on his second coffee of the day.

"Ya know, maybe they could start a coffee anonymous for you." Tony joked and ducked as his dad gave him a light headslap, grinning.

"Glad to see you're in a good mood." Gibbs said.

"Slept like a log." Tony said and grabbed himself a coffee.

Watching his son add stupid amounts of sugar and creamer, Gibbs' gut twinged, Tony had just lied to him, Gibbs hadn't slept either and had heard his son pacing in his room. He had thought a couple of times that Tony would make his way down to the basement but he had not shown. However, knowing what today was, he just looked at Tony who instantly knew his dad had known he was lying but had not said anything.

Gibbs just walked behind Tony on his way upstairs to get changed and put a hand on his shoulder.

The gesture, not seen a huge one was profound to Tony, as Gibbs continued up the stairs Tony stared into his coffee. Despite everything, he had been told that was the moment when he realized that Gibbs would not abandon him and he truly had family.

He sat stunned as this realization washed over him and slowly smiled, then for a moment a what if I mess this up thought crossed his mind. As if she could read his mind, Abby came in the kitchen from behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

"We're here for you today, don't worry it's going to be ok," She said. He reached up and hugged her arm.

"Thanks Sis," He said a strange calm descended on him as if he knew no matter what happened today, he would be ok.

* * *

As they left for the courtroom Tony got a text message, 'Hey Tony, it's Jackie Vance, I just wanted to let you know I won't be in court today, I'm done with Leon and it's not your fault. I hope whatever the outcome is that you're ok and you know none of us blame you. The kids and I have gone to my mothers in California and I am considering making the move permanent and we are all happy. You're a great guy Tony trust your family they love you as do we."

Tony smiled as he read it.

Flanked by his family, Tim and Ziva, Tony sat in the courtroom. He could not see Vance as Gibbs had once again placed himself in the way. Abby held his hand and Jackson patted his arm.

The judge read out the guilty verdict and sentenced Leon to thirty years in prison.

Leon looked shocked, "This is all your fault DiNozzo, you will pay." He yelled as his lawyer tried quieting him up.

Not even a moment passed before Vance was led out of the courtroom and Tony's family had rallied around him assuring him that Vance was wrong.

"I know," Tony said and smiled at his family.

Gibbs did a slight double take.

"Can we go home now dad, I promised I'd go and see Zeke later and fill him in."

"Sure, How about we see if he's at the shelter and he and Jessie can come over." Gibbs offered.

Tony gave him, without a doubt the brightest smile he had ever seen, "We'll barbecue with the whole family." Gibbs suggested.

"Please." Tony beamed.

* * *

Sitting on the back porch steps that evening, Tony laughed as he threw a ball for Jessie, and Zeke and Gibbs sat in a couple of wooden chairs watching the barbeque die down. Abby and Jackson had gone inside to make hot chocolate and Tim and Ziva were playing scrabble at the kitchen table.

"He's settled a lot in the last week or so," Zeke remarked.

"I know, I think he's finally accepted us as family." Gibbs told him.

Zeke nodded "Ya know I think you're right. It looks like the boy has finally found a home."

Gibbs, for what to him seemed like the first time in ages relaxed.

"That he has Zeke that he has." Gibbs sighed and smiled.


End file.
